Bruce Campbell Confirms a New Filmmaker Will Take on the Evil Dead Franchise

Bruce Campbell closed a major chapter of the Evil Dead franchise when he retired from the role of Ash Williams after the conclusion of the third season of Ash vs. Evil Dead, though original director Sam Raimi revealed earlier this year a new filmmaker would be enlisted to craft a new sequel, which Campbell himself confirmed during a convention appearance. Fede Alvarez directed the 2013 remake of the film, with it being unclear how the franchise will continue, but Campbell’s comments imply that whoever helms the project will be offering their own take on the mythology that kicked off back in 1981.

“It’s okay to pass it along to another idiot to try and stop evil from destroying the world,” Campbell shared at the Rock and Shock convention about the role of Ash, per Twitter user @CraigSemon. “One idiot tried⁠—he did pretty good. It’s time to let other innocent people with no skills try to save the world. And there’s more stories to tell.”

He added, “So we think we have a cool premise. We have a new filmmaker that Sam Raimi has hand-chosen. So he’s very involved in it. Will be involved in the story. And we’ll try and make sure the actors don’t completely suck. And then we’re gonna make another one, yeah. There’s lots of stories…creepy books…lots of people to torment.”

The 2013 remake earned mixed reactions initially, failing to make a major dent at the box office, even if many horror fans have come to embrace the reimagining of the source material. While that film might not have had a version of Ash in it, Raimi, Campbell, and original producer Rob Tapert were all involved in the film, ensuring that it maintained the franchise’s legacy. Fans have been curious for years if the franchise would ever return to the big screen, with Raimi confirming at New York Comic Con that a new project was being developed and that he, Campbell, and Tapert were still involved.

What makes this new information interesting is that Alvarez has previously expressed his interest in continuing with the series, sharing last year that he had a number of ideas he’d like to explore.

“It continues the first one. The coincidences on events between the first film and mine are not coincidences, but more like dark fate created by the evil book. (Ash car is still there rusting away),” Alvarez shared of one plan for a sequel.

It’s unclear when this new project could be moving forward or who Raimi has selected, but any future at all will likely excite fans.

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Evil Dead franchise.

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