Starz has unleashed a new teaser for its upcoming horror-comedy series Ash vs Evil Dead, which is currently rolling cameras in New Zealand and will find Bruce Campbell reprising the classic role of renowned Deadite slayer Ash Williams.
Though there’s not much by way of footage from the series, which the original film’s creators Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are exec-producing alongside new showrunner Craig DiGregorio, the teaser does a solid job of combining the gory realism of Fede Alvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead reboot with the groovier irreverence of the originals (via Campbell’s enthusiastic line: “Bruce is back, baby!”). If the series can scare and satisfy in equal measure, Evil Dead fans are in for a real treat.
The ten-episode first season finds Campbell reprising the role of Ash, alongside Spartacus: Blood and Sand alum Lucy Lawless as the mysterious Ruby, Ray Santiago as immigrant-turned-sidekick Pablo Simon Bolivar, Jill Marie Jones as a disgraced state trooper who holds Ash responsible for the death of her partner and Dana DeLorenzo as a wild child outrunning responsibilities. When a Deadite plague threatens all of humanity, Ash is forced to go once more into battle against the forces of darkness.
The zombie spin is an interesting, if perhaps expected turn of events for the series, which is banking on residual good-will from fans of the franchise while still hoping to draw in new viewers accustomed to horror-tinged thrillers like The Walking Dead. With the great cast assembled here, and Raimi also directing the first episode from a script he wrote with his brother Ivan Raimi, expectations are high.
Ash vs Evil Dead rises from the dead on Starz this fall.
Bruce 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.
The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick and Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past.
