With “Evil Dead Rise” about to hit theaters and breath new life into the (never fully dead) franchise. Sam Raimi, the creator of the “Evil Dead” universe, looks back on the history of the series and possible ways to blend the old and new.
While Raimi was involved in the “Ash Vs Evil Dead” TV series, he hasn’t worked on the big screen with Ash Williams (Bruce Campbell) since 1993’s “Army of Darkness.” Fede Álvarez’s 2013 big-screen reboot introduced a whole new cast of characters to fight off the ever-present deadites. Though Ash did make a quick cameo in a post-credits sequence.
Raimi has now confirmed that there were plans to bring Ash and Mia’s (from the reboot) stories together. “That character, Mia, was great, so I was very interested,” Raimi told Empire. “We had been talking about an ‘Evil Dead IV’ for the other branch of that universe, and we were worried a little bit about a collision. Ash Vs Evil Dead is what that morphed into. But I always thought there was room for both. I still think there’s room for all sorts of Evil Dead movies. I don’t think they cancel each other out.”
Which is a perfectly valid point. The deadiets have not been bound to the cabin since the end of 1987’s “Evil Dead 2.” And “Ash Vs Evil Dead” established they can follow him (and assuming Mia) anywhere. This creates a massive sandbox for Raimi and other directors to play in since several stories can all be happening independently of each other. While the universe is still very much Raimi, Campbell, and producer Rob Tapert’s baby. They are all very supportive of other voices joining in.
“I love working with Bruce and Rob,” Raimi said. “I love it as a producer because they’re really good partners, but I also like being supported by them as the director. So I hope that is on the cards eventually.”
Lee Cronin‘s “Evil Dead Rise” hits theaters on April 21st, 2023. Check out the blood-soaked red band trailer below:
