While the Evil Dead franchise briefly dabbled in the TV realm with Starz’s Ash vs. Evil Dead, it’s still chiefly a film series, and over the last several years, there’ve been attempts to get another Evil Dead movie off the ground. Back in October, Ash Williams himself, Bruce Campbell, teased that there was a big development on that front, and today brings word that a writer/director has been hired for the project.
Bruce Campbell revealed that Lee Cronin will fill out those positions on the next Evil Dead movie with the following statement:
We’re just getting off the phone with Lee Cronin, who is writing and directing the next Evil Dead. It’s called Evil Dead Now. Sam handpicked Lee – he did a cool movie called The Hole In The Ground. We’re going to get that sucker out as soon as practical.
Lee Cronin is an emerging horror talent, as along with last year’s The Hole in The Ground, which followed a young woman who suspects her son’s disturbing behavior is connected to a mysterious sinkhole and earned a lot of positive critical reception, he also directed the 2014 Méliès d'Argent award-winning short film Ghost Train. So getting to helm the officially-titled Evil Dead Now will be a major boost for his career, and clearly Bruce Campbell and original Evil Dead trilogy director Sam Raimi saw something special in him.
While speaking with Empire, Bruce Campbell also reaffirmed that Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Now will not star Ash Williams, which should come as no surprise given that Campbell retired from the role (though he did vocally reprise the character in a video game). Instead, just like in the 2013 Evil Dead movie, it sounds like a female protagonist will be front and center this time around. In Campbell’s words:
From this point forward, they kind of have to stand on their own. Which is fine. And liberating. You could have different heroes, different heroines in this case. This one’s gonna be a little more dynamic. We just want to keep the series current. And the mantra, really, is that our heroes and heroines are just regular people. That’s what we’re going to continue.
Although 2013’s Evil Dead (directed and co-written by Fede Álvarez) featured a cameo from Ash Williams at the very end, it sounds like Evil Dead Now is intended to truly mark the beginning of a new era. The times change, and while Ash Williams had his time to shine on both the big and small screens, it’s as good a time as any for someone new to take the lead.
As for who this protagonist is and what events she’ll be drawn into during Evil Dead Now, that remains to be seen, although naturally it’ll involve all sorts of demonic entities. It’s also unclear when Evil Dead Now plans to begin filming, but at least fans of the franchise can take comfort knowing that Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi have been working hard to ensure that the next installment is in good hands.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on how Evil Dead Now is coming along. In the meantime, scan through our 2020 release schedule to learn what movies are supposed to come out later this year.
