Sam Raimi, Bob Tapert and Bruce Campbell, the original trio of horror meisters who cooked up the cult franchise, Evil Dead, are bringing its bumbling-yet-badass antihero back to the small screen later this year. Ash Vs. Evil Dead will pick up with the titular hero, Ash, thirty years after his last encounter with the Deadites. Hooked into a seemingly normal lifestyle – a trailer park abode and a job at Ted’s Superclub – he’s thrown back into the world of the undead when those pesky demons seek him out.
With Campbell eager to reinvent the character to a certain degree, he sat down with Dread Central to discuss the part. “I’m bringing everything to the table,” he vows. “It’s a feisty version of Ash, who’s grizzled and just wants to be left alone.”
Sometimes you don’t always get what you want, and that truth will be faced by Ash who is joined by a host of new characters to accompany him. Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo recently boarded the series as Ash’s neighbors, who quickly get roped into his shenanigans.
“I was there during the casting process, and they’re very talented,” said Campbell of the new duo. “Aside from the ensemble [aspect], they each needed to be able to hold their own because they’ll have their own series of missions. It’s an epic tale. How could you not [plan for that]? I’m a strong proponent of the ‘big picture’ plan, and we are planning for five seasons.”
Yes, FIVE seasons. Whether or not this is a solid confirmation that’s been backed by Starz – the network behind the series – or wishful thinking, it’s still a bold statement by Campbell. In fact, he later went on to issue another tongue-in-cheek jab at the show’s arguably biggest rival – AMC’s undead serial:
“We are competitive with ‘The Walking Dead,’ like, ‘We’ll show those fuckers!’ [Our] Deadites are very clever. They not stupid shufflers. They can mimic people; they can drive cars. They’re a fun threat. They [‘The Walking Dead’] are right up there [though] with being responsible for the current resurgence [of horror].”
Lastly, a brand new subplot has been unearthed thanks to the latest casting announcement via Deadline. Their report indicates that American Horror Story‘s Jill Marie Jones will play disgraced Michigan State Trooper, Amanda Fisher. After the grisly murder of her partner, she “sets out to find our anti-hero Ash (original franchise star Bruce Campbell) and prove his responsibility for the crime. But as she soon learns, Ash and his cohorts may be mankind’s only hope against the plague of Evil Dead.”
Ash Vs. Evil Dead will arrive later this year on Starz.
