The demise of Ash vs. Evil Dead on Starz was a hard pill to swallow for fans of Sam Raimi‘s iconic horror franchise. Bruce Campbell‘s Ash Williams had finally returned, this time in weekly episodic form, and all seemed perfect since it had been over a decade since Army of Darkness hit theaters.
Since then, Campbell has officially retired the character after the show’s cancellation and talks of any return seemed a moot point. Then Bloody Disgusting talked with Raimi during promotion of Crawl and there seemed to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
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Raimi produced Crawl, the latest by Evil Dead remake director Fede Alvarez, so it was fitting that the iconic series would at least get a mention. But writer William Bibbiani got a bit more than just that.
I’d love to make another one. I don’t think TV is in its future but we’re talking about – Bruce [Campbell], Rob [Tapert] and myself – one or two different ways to go for the next movie,” Raimi told the outlet. “We’d like to make another Evil Dead feature and in fact we’re working on some ideas right now.”
Now as Bloody Disgusting points out, the direction any possible film takes depends on who is willing to return or star in the film. Campbell made it clear that he was fine being retired from the character, making an emotional goodbye on Twitter after Ash vs. Evil Dead was canceled.
Ash Vs Evil Dead has been the ride of a lifetime. Ash Williams was the role of a lifetime.
I will always be grateful to Starz, Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert and our tireless fans for the opportunity to revisit the franchise that launched our careers. Thank you! 😎 pic.twitter.com/oNmTopS1Ab
— Bruce Campbell (@GroovyBruce) April 20, 2018
For Raimi, he hopes this is the type of retirement you see with professional wrestlers or legendary rock bands. But if it isn’t, there are other options.
“I would be thrilled if Bruce Campbell changed his mind about retirement, would come back for the original Evil Dead line,” Raimi told Bloody Disgusting. “But if not, I’m very happy to work with, if Fede [Álvarez] would come back and make the sequel… but he’s such a big shot now. He’s so successful, an artist in demand, that I don’t think he’d want to do that.”
So fans may indeed have the opportunity to see the Deadites rise again. Raimi admits that the remake is part of the Evil Dead universe, but not part of Bruce Campbell’s Ash storyline. No matter the path he travels, he indicates that any news will bubble to the surface in the next six months.
Time to get excited?
