Following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead back in 2018, Ashley “Ash” J Williams actor Bruce Campbell has claimed on several occasions that he will no longer be playing the beloved character in any future Evil Dead projects.
Now, in an interview with Collider, Campbell not only confirmed that he is officially retired as Ash but he explained why he chose to “hang up the chainsaw” after playing the character in four movies (including his cameo during the post-credit scene of 2013’s Evil Dead) and three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead.
“I’m done playing Ash, so that determines a lot of where we go with the franchise without that character, but there are more stories. We’re doing it book-focused these days. That darn book gets around, and that’s how we play it. That book wound up in an urban environment with a single mom, so let’s see what happens. It’s fun to fiddle with it. There’s not gonna be any traditional form of Evil Dead anymore. Ash is gone. I’ve retired the character because I physically just can’t do him anymore, so why bother? Why do I do it? It’s time to hang up the chainsaw. But we still are filmmakers, we’re still producers, we’re still creative-type dudes, so we were like, “How do we keep this going otherwise?” Sam [Raimi] handpicked Fede Alvarez to do the remake a few years ago. He handpicked Lee Cronin for this one. These are Sam Raimi proteges that we hope will do a good job.”
Although Campbell may be done playing Ash, there is currently a new Evil Dead film in development, titled Evil Dead Rise, which is set to follow two estranged sisters whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable. The film has been confirmed to build off the original trilogy, rather than the 2013 reboot, as well as moving out of the woods and into a modern-day urban setting.
SEE ALSO: Bruce Campbell says family plot line in Evil Dead Rise makes it more “excruciating”
Evil Dead Rise is being directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground) and stars Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan as the two sisters, as well as young actors Morgan Davies (The End), Nell Fisher (Northspur), and Gabrielle Echols (Reminiscence) who will play a trio of siblings, and Mia Challis as an 18-year-old girl obsessed with fashion and social media. Evil Dead Rise is set to be produced by Campbell and franchise creator Sam Raimi. It is expected to release on HBO Max sometime next year.
