Few horror movies have the legacy of Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s Evil Dead trilogy – the first an ultra lo-fi ambitious horror caught up in the video nasty scandal, the second an uproarious and riotously entertaining horror-comedy semi-rake, the third a deranged medieval fantasy-horror that delved even deeper into absurdity. And after a hard-edged Evil Dead remake, and the small-screen adventures of Ash Vs. Evil Dead, it seems the Necronomicon is once again being opened for an all-new Evil Dead movie.
Speaking to Empire in the Heroes Issue, Ash himself – aka the ever-groovy Bruce Campbell – opened up about the latest developments around a new film. “We’re just getting off the phone with Lee Cronin, who is writing and directing the next Evil Dead,” he confirmed when asked whether there was life in the old cabin in the woods. “It’s called Evil Dead Now. Sam handpicked Lee – he did a cool movie called The Hole In The Ground. We’re going to get that sucker out as soon as practical.”
As in Fede Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead, this one won’t feature Ash, who has hung up the chainsaw and shotgun for perhaps the last time – and will, by the sounds of things, centre on a female protagonist. “From this point forward, they kind of have to stand on their own. Which is fine. And liberating,” says Campbell. “You could have different heroes, different heroines in this case. This one’s gonna be a little more dynamic.” He added: “We jut 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.”
Read Empire’s full Bruce Campbell interview – talking the legacy of Ash in our celebration of the greatest movie heroes – in the July 2020 issue. On sale from Thursday 11 June, and available to pre-order online with free UK delivery here.