Bruce Campbell says Campbell is a veteran of the screen, and has appeared most often in Sam Raimi's films, and the Evil Dead series' Ash is his most iconic character. But the actor won't be returning in the forthcoming Evil Dead film, which is currently in development.
Campbell first played Ash in the The Evil Dead, released in 1981, and reprised the role in both sequels, a continuation of the films, and ran for three seasons on Starz. Campbell didn't appear in the 2013 remake of The Evil Dead, except in a brief post-credits cameo, and he has repeatedly said that he won't return as Ash in another movie.
Speaking to Empire, Campbell said there are plans for a new Evil Dead film, but that the character of Ash will not appear. The actor said he and Raimi have been developing the movie with director Lee Cronin, who helmed 2019's The Hole In The Ground. He says the new Evil Dead will feature a female lead, like the 2013 reboot, and that each film from here on out needs to be a self-contained story rather than a continuation of the series. His comments are below.
"From this point forward, they kind of have to stand on their own. Which is fine. And liberating. You could have different heroes, different heroines in this case. This one’s gonna be a little more dynamic. We just want to keep the series current. And the mantra, really, is that our heroes and heroines are just regular people. That’s what we’re going to continue."
Campbell also revealed that the latest addition to the series will be called Evil Dead Now. Raimi handpicked Cronin to direct this film after seeing The Hole In the Ground, and Campbell is hopeful the creative team will be able to get the movie out "as soon as practical."
While fans will likely be understandably upset that Campbell won't return to crack wise as Ash, the move is a positive one for the Evil Dead series. Far too many film franchises rely on aging stars to prop up weak rehashed material and the end result is often disappointing. As an example, Terminator: Dark Fate brought back Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger in an attempt to relaunch the franchise, but the movie was criticized for simply redoing the same storyline. The Halloween reboot, though successful, was also largely a rehash of the original movie with some updates and new material for Jamie Lee Curtis.
Instead of relying on gags about Campbell's age and fitness (or lack thereof), new Evil Dead movies can take the central macguffin of the original series, The Necronomicon, and explore new stories in the universe. It's a great way to let new directors play in the world that Raimi created, without making them rely on the character of Ash to lead the movies. It leaves the series open to continue for years to come, hopefully without getting stale and ruining the nostalgia fans feel for the original Evil Dead.
Source: Empire
