There are two new “Evil Dead” films happening but Bruce Campbell also revealed that a new animated series is in the works where he would return as Ash…
Bruce Campbell is likely done playing Ash Williams in any live action versions of the “Evil Dead” franchise but that doesn’t mean he can’t voice his most famous character.
The veteran actor revealed in a new interview that he’s currently working with Sam Raimi on developing a new animated series set in the “Evil Dead” universe where he could reprise his role as Ash but that no longer requires him to actually take on the physicality required for that part at 66 years of age.
“We are developing an animated version, like a series,” Campbell told EW. “I’ll do that. I’ll do Ash’s voice all day long, because my voice hasn’t aged as much as I have.”
Campbell has been deeply invested in the “Evil Dead” franchise ever since the original film was released in 1981. He’s gone onto star in three “Evil Dead” films as well as the much beloved series “Ash vs. Evil Dead” that aired for two seasons on Starz.
While Campbell has no problem voicing Ash for a new animated “Evil Dead” series, he’s probably done with the live action version but he’s happy to hand off the franchise to the next generation of filmmakers.
“Evil Dead Rise,” which was directed by Lee Cronin, was both a commercial and critical success earning over $147 million at the box office. The success of that film led to two new “Evil Dead” films being commissioned with one directed by Sébastien Vaniček, who made the French horror film “Infested” and then a second by Francis Galluppi, who directed the crime thriller “The Last Stop in Yuma County.”
Campbell believes the possibilities are endless when it comes to the “Evil Dead” franchise, in particular because the story has moved beyond Ash.
“We’re out of the cabin, Sam [Raimi] doesn’t have to direct, I don’t have to star as Ash,” Campbell said. “The trick is to take the elements that people like, which is innocent people being tortured by a malicious entity, and it’s people who have no skills to stop it.”
As much as “Evil Dead” has remained a fan favorite among horror community, Campbell acknowledged that the success of “Evil Dead Rise” has now transformed the franchise into a real money making entity, which didn’t always happen with the earlier films.
“The funny thing is, the Evil Dead movies, the last one made $140 million, and the Evil Dead movies don’t usually make that much money,” Campbell said. “They’re cheap, so they don’t have to make that much — but now that they’re making real money, it’s kinda hard to look away. And we want to do it — the last one was 10 years ago, Fede [Álvarez’s reboot] was 2013! So we want to get a little more of a pipeline for folks who still follow it, who want to see it. They want to see it in the new incarnation!”
The sixth and seventh films in the “Evil Dead” franchise are already in the works, although there’s no word on when either will be released. The same goes for a timeline for the new “Evil Dead” animated series but it sounds like Campbell is already working on developing that alongside Raimi.
