Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell “Leaks” Doctor Strange 2 Script for April Fool’s Day

As soon as filmmaker Sam Raimi was tapped to direct Marvel Studios’ Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness movie fans the world over had one thing on their mind, how is he going to get Bruce Campbell in this thing? Lifelong friends, Campbell and Raimi have collaborated on multiple projects together, most famously the Evil Dead trilogy of movies where Campbell played fan-favorite Ash Williams. Campbell also made cameo appearances in multiple other Raimi movies, like the Spider-Man trilogy, and will seemingly do the same in the Doctor Strange sequel. To mark the occasion of April Fool’s Day, Campbell “teased” his appearance in the movie with an alleged page from the script that “revealed” his cameo.

“Oops. This slipped,” Campbell tweeted, revealing “page 68” of the script which reads in part: “The kaleidoscope-like multiverse effect fades away, and Strange finds himself alone in mist-covered woods….He raises his hands to once again call upon the energy of the twelve moons of Munnopor when the muffled SOUND OF A CHAINSAW from behind causes him to turn around. The MISTS DISPERSE to reveal a RAMSCHACKLE CABIN with a PORCH SWING> Several windows are BROKEN, and TWO FIRST-SIZED HOLES appear on the front door. The front door opens, and a DISHEVELED MAN steps through the doorway. Strange can’t help but notice that hte man has a CHAINSAW where his right hand should be.”

The scene goes on to have Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange have a conversation with Campbell’s “Disheveled Man,” who is clearly Ash Williams. They even talk about a magic book!

All things considered it’s a good, harmless prank for today, and even though we’re certain that Campbell appears in the film in some way, it sadly won’t be like this (beyond the simple logic of the rights to The Evil Dead being a nightmare that Marvel wouldn’t want to get tangled up in).

One interesting thing to note though is the top title line credits the script to “Bartlett & Waldon and Raimi.” So even though Campbell’s script is clearly a fake, it’s possible that it could offer a minor update on the film, namely that previously revealed screenwriters Jade Bartlett & Michael Waldron will share credit with Sam Raimi on the script. In the end it’s all a joke anyway, so that detail could be part of the gag.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness will be released on March 25, 2022.