New Evil Dead Director Teases Spinoff Film, Hopes to Shoot This Year

Evil Dead fans were shocked by the announcement earlier this week that an all-new entry into the series was being developed by filmmaker Sébastien Vaniček, and while little is known about what audiences can expect from the outing, he shed some insight into his approach to the franchise. While speaking with Konbini, translated from French, the filmmaker shared that he wants to make a "nasty film" and that a priority for him was to make something with "100% creative freedom." He also promised a "French twist" on the material, as compared to all the other entries in the series that have unfolded in American locales.

While speaking about how his film Vermin opened up a lot of doors, Vaniček explained, "I did a lot of Zoom [meetings], and at one point I started getting Warner Bros., then New Line, and Ghost House Pictures. Well, I quickly understood what the three had in common and quickly, I had an email from the producer who told me that Warner wanted to make a new 100% original Evil Dead, not related to the rest of the saga."

He added, "What's crazy is that [Sam Raimi] guaranteed and protects us to give us 100% creative freedom. That's all that mattered to me, to not get eaten up by a big studio and get released from the project. Sam Raimi is really the only producer in the United States who has control over his franchise. So when he tells me, 'It's your vision that takes precedence, I'm here to ensure it is preserved,' it's reassuring."

The first three films in the saga focused on Bruce Campbell's Ash Williams being targeted by otherworldly forces, with the series then earning a 2013 reboot, followed by three seasons of Ash vs. Evil Dead. Last year's Evil Dead Rise wasn't necessarily a reboot, as it pivoted to the discovery of a Necronomicon in an apartment building, with its place in the franchise sounding similar to Vaniček's approach. 

"If all goes well, it will be a film with a French twist, with a central French character. I want to do my post-production in France with my teams. It will be in English, eh, but with one or more French characters who speak English," Vaniček detailed. "I told the studio that I wanted to make a nasty film, a film that hurts, from which you come away tested. I'm going to put all the horror I have inside, it will be cathartic."

He added, "If all goes well, we could start filming at the end of 2024, beginning of 2025, for a release that I hope for Halloween 2025."

Given the financial success of Evil Dead Rise, fans have waited for updates on whether that adventure from filmmaker Lee Cronin could earn a continuation, so it's unknown if this new film will take a sequel's place or if multiple entries are on the way.

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