The Evil Dead is coming back. Just three months after the news hit that Sam Raimi has scrapped plans for a sequel to Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead movie, the news has come that Raimi had other plans for his debut franchise. Jane Levy said at that time that she heard they were making an Evil Dead television series, and she was exactly right.
Deadline reported on Monday that Ash vs. Evil Dead is coming to the Starz television network and will actually premiere in 2015. The series will be a 10-episode straight-to-series order with Bruce Campbell in the starring role as Ash.
Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell began their huge careers thanks to Evil Dead, a movie that they made straight out of college using a small crew and practical effects that Raimi invented himself. Since then, Raimi has gone on to be a superstar director, which included the original Spider-Man trilogy while Campbell has become the most popular cult actor in the world.
Now, they are re-teaming for the franchise that made them famous. Raimi will direct the pilot, which will kick off the series years after the end of Army of Darkness. It appears they will go with the theatrical ending, where Ash makes it back to his own time period. The synopsis is as follows:
Campbell will be reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal. Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.
This will likely end the idea of the cinematic Army of Darkness 2, which was supposed to take place after the alternate ending where Campbell overslept and woke up in a ravaged apocalyptic future.
Television is no stranger to Bruce Campbell, who has starred in The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Jack of All Trades and Burn Notice. Raimi is also no stranger, producing shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, and most recently, the Starz series Spartacus.
“Evil Dead has always been a blast,” Raimi said. “Bruce, Rob, and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to tell the next chapter in Ash’s lame, but heroic saga. With his chainsaw arm and his ‘boomstick,’ Ash is back to kick some monster butt. And brother, this time there’s a truckload of it.”
Are you excited to see an Evil Dead television series. Does Bruce Campbell returning make you even more excited? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.