Bruce Campbell Confirms Hes Not in Evil Dead Rise

Don’t expect to see Bruce Campbell in Evil Dead Rise, as the fan favorite horror star is not coming out of his retirement from playing Ash to appear in the movie. In the first three installments of the popular Evil Dead movie series, Campbell starred as Ashley J. “Ash” Williams. He later reprised the role for three seasons of the sequel series Ash vs. Evil Dead, though he announced after its cancelation in 2018 that he was finished playing the role.

It has since been revealed that the movie series will continue without Campbell in the lead. We’ve previously seen this happen with the remake released by Fede Alvarez in 2013 that starred Jane Levy as the main character. Fans shouldn’t get their hopes up about seeing Campbell back as Ash once again in Evil Dead Rise either, as he’s officially confirmed he’s not in it at all. As the actor explained in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly:

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“I won’t be appearing in it, no. I will be in the upcoming Evil Dead game, which I think is due for February 2022. I just finished the voice for that. The nice thing is, your voice doesn’t age as much as your body, so I can milk that for a few more years.”

As Bruce Campbell says, he isn’t done voicing Ash Williams for video games and similar projects. He’s just not going to play him in any more live-action movies or TV shows. This is because he’s not getting any younger and it’s not as much fun as it used to be getting covered in sticky fake blood for hours a day on set. The good news, as Campbell also teased, is that a new Evil Dead video game will bring him back to the role in a way. Other stars from the movies and TV series will also be included.

Meanwhile, Evil Dead Rise will bring about an entirely new environment rather than sticking with the traditional cabin in the woods. The Necronomicon will still play a big part of the story, and that’s perhaps the biggest link to the previous movies without Ash involved. As Campbell also said in his EW interview, the focus will be on a new duo of heroines to take on the Deadites when they invade a crowded city.

“It’s all about [the Necronomicon]. Where does this book wind up and what happens to it over the millennia? In this case, it’s set in the city, it’s no more cabin in the woods. It’s entirely different, unsuspecting heroines who are going to save the day.”

Directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground), Evil Dead Rise stars Alyssa Sutherland, Lily Sullivan, Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher. Rob Tapert is producing with Campbell and Sam Raimi serving as executive producers.

Evil Dead Rise does not yet have an official release date, but the plan is reportedly for the movie to be released on HBO Max in 2022. In the meantime, you can catch the 40th anniversary screening of The Evil Dead when it comes to theaters in October courtesy of Fathom Events. For more of Campbell, you can read his full interview at Entertainment Weekly.

Topics: Evil Dead

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