‘Evil Dead’ Producer Talks Plans for Continuing Franchise After ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’

Horror fans were dealt the disappointing news earlier this year that Ash vs. Evil Dead wasn’t renewed for a fourth season on Starz, resulting in Bruce Campbell officially retiring from his role as Ash J. Williams. Before hopes of the series and Campbell’s involvement were dashed, Evil Dead producer Rob Tappert hoped to reboot the franchise with a new movie and still hopes to keep the series alive with Sam Raimi.

“We had a really great idea for where it was going to go in the future, and it was something Sam had been talking about: rebooting a movie. What that scenario could be,” Tapert revealed at Motor City Comic Con. “And then, Bruce wrote to Sam and I one day, ‘If they don’t [renew the series], I’m retiring from Ash.’ [We asked], ‘But wait Bruce, what about a movie?!’ [Campbell noted], ‘No, I’m retiring.’ So. We’ll see.”

Following the original trilogy of films, a reboot arrived in 2013 that was meant to revive the franchise, which avoided going the direct remake route. Campbell only briefly appeared in a post-credits scene, saying, “Groovy,” though there were no expectations that Campbell would come to this rebooted universe.

Tapert teased that the concept of reviving the movie franchise is still on the table.

“Sam and myself have been talking about what a new incarnation would be,” Tapert confirmed.

Given that the cancellation of Ash vs. Evil Dead resulted in Campbell’s permanent departure from the franchise, many fans have expressed their frustration at Starz’s decision. Despite the disappointment at the franchise ending, Tapert confirmed how much support the series received from the network before the decision was made to pull the plug.

“We knew going into the third season that there was a chance [we’d get canceled]… the ratings had been turning down and it’s hard to change that,” Tapert explained. “Starz had been a good partner. Pretty much letting us do anything we wanted. It was probably just not the right outlet for it… but they waited until the ratings came in for the third season. We sold the rights to the first two seasons to Netflix, but they won’t let a competitor have something [that’s theirs]… which I kind of understand. It’s unfortunate.”

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

What do you hope to see in Evil Dead‘s future? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

[H/T Bloody Disgusting]