Evil Dead Rise Adds Young Stars to Cast

In addition to the new Evil Dead sequel Evil Dead Rise taking the carnage of the franchise out of the woods and into an urban setting, the sequel also looks to be switching things up when it comes to casting, as The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that young stars Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher have all joined the endeavor. The outlet also notes that the trio of performers will likely be playing siblings in the upcoming adventure, with the stars joining the previously announced Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan in the picture. Evil Dead Rise comes from director Lee Cronin, while original producers Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert will once again produce.

The first two films in the series focused on Ash Williams (Campbell) and his friends accidentally unlocking an ancient evil in the middle of the woods, unleashing an onslaught of demonic “Deadites” upon them. The third film, Army of Darkness, saw Ash unintentionally traveling back in time to once again wage war with unearthly creatures.

In 2013, director Fede Alvarez delivered audiences a reboot of the concept, once again pitting a group of friends in a remote cabin against demonic evils. Despite also being produced by Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert, the film failed to make a major impact on audiences. In 2015, Campbell returned to his beloved role for the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which picked up after the events of Army of Darkness. The series ran for three seasons on Starz, with the end of the series also resulting in Campbell confirming he was retiring from the role for good.

Cronin was selected personally by Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert, with the filmmaker previously teasing what his approach to the new sequel would be.

“For me, the key thing I kept reminding myself of, when you’re in the trenches and you’re developing something, was to make sure it’s a roller coaster,” Cronin shared with ComicBook.com last year about the project. “To make sure that it has twists and turns and that it’s visceral and engaging. To sum all that up, to come back to what I just said, I wanted to create a roller coaster of terror. That was really the key for me. my memories of Evil Dead, when I watched them at a young age, always marveling at ‘how does this even exist?’ It just continues to poke at my brain and refresh every time I watch it. So to boil it down to an even simpler thing was that it’s experiential. It has to be a horror experience. And that’s the key and that’s what I’m trying to achieve with this.”

Stay tuned for details on Evil Dead Rise.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!