Anyone working on a movie intended for HBO Max must be very nervous right now. Earlier this week, we got the bombshell news that Warner Bros was shelving Batgirl and Scoob!: Holiday Haunt, both of which were shelved when practically complete. The corporation’s new direction is to move away from mid-range content intended to premiere on streaming and in favor of event movies. So, what of Evil Dead Rise?
This movie seems to fall squarely into the very category Warner Bros is moving away from, and if the plug can be pulled on a production as big as Batgirl, why not Evil Dead Rise? This is expected to land over the fall, and we haven’t got a confirmed premiere date or a trailer, which doesn’t bode well at all.
Fortunately, at least for now, the long-awaited sequel seems to be safe. Director Lee Cronin took to Twitter to simply tell fans to “keep the faith”:
But while this is broadly positive news, it’s by no means a cast-iron guarantee that Evil Dead Rise is still going ahead. Reading between the lines, it sounds as if there are some kinds of negotiations underway behind-the-scenes, though the rumors that the movie will get a theatrical release, after all, may be its salvation.
If Evil Dead Rise did end up on the big screen around Halloween, that’d be a best-case scenario. Anyone who’s seen an Evil Dead movie in theaters will know the audience reaction is half the fun, usually as there’s a 50/50 mix of laughter and screams at the more extreme.
Hopefully, we’ll get some kind of announcement very soon, but in the meantime, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that the recent drama at Warner Bros doesn’t affect Evil Dead Rise.
