Evil Dead Rise is the movie that fans of the supernatural horror franchise have been waiting decades for. The only downside is that Bruce Campbell will only be involved in a producer capacity, having retired from playing series protagonist Ash Williams in 2018 when Starz decided not to renew the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV show for a fourth season. However, it sounds like there’s a chance we could see the Deadite-slaying hero come out of retirement for at least a cameo in the upcoming sequel.
During a socially-distanced Q&A session at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater in Lehighton, Pennsylvania over the weekend, Campbell broached the subject of whether he would be interested in making a guest appearance in the fourth mainline Evil Dead film. “Shouldn’t I just be in it?” he quipped, when asked about the possibility of a cameo, before adding on a more serious note: “Who knows?”
Clearly what Evil Dead fans want to see more than anything is an official sequel to Army of Darkness with Campbell back as Ash. The take home point here, though, is that the actor himself didn’t rule out some kind of appearance in the sequel, but that won’t make or break Evil Dead Rise. After all, there are high hopes for the movie following confirmation that it will be helmed by Lee Cronin, the directorial talent behind the acclaimed horror The Hole in the Ground.
Series mastermind Sam Raimi handpicked Cronin to bring the franchise into the 21st century and reports suggest he’ll be taking it into new territory, ditching the traditional cabin in the woods setting in favor of an urban backdrop. Rumor has it that the Deadites will be wreaking havoc in a high-rise, which would tie in neatly with the movie’s title.
While it would be nice to see Ash get some kind of sendoff in Evil Dead Rise, it’s more important to focus on the fact that the series is being given a fresh new direction with a great up-and-coming horror filmmaker at the helm. With any luck, Cronin’s sequel will be worth the 30-year wait.
