A little under two months is all that separates us from the return of Ashley "Ash" Williams and Bruce Campbell couldn't be more excited. The first ten-episode season of Ash vs Evil Dead is set to debut on October 31, 2015 on Starz and Campbell sat down with Entertainment Weekly to spill a few beans on what we can expect from the return of The Evil Dead.
On whether longtime fans can expect to see many easter eggs:
You just have got to pretty much look closely on your high-definition television set. There’s a lot of stuff in Ash’s trailer that is similar to what we had in the past movies. There’s references to things like Michigan State University and Faygo Redpop! The art department really went crazy making it s authentic as possible. I remember Sam and I walking through it and we were just blown away. So for the intense fan there’s a lot for them to look at. We’re also going to revisit — I have to be careful how I say this — but we’re going to revisit some things that are familiar, and the recreations are amazing.
How the show won't tiptoe around his old age:
Well, yeah. We’re not ignoring it. Even on set I refer to my other costars as the kids. We’re not dancing around it. We don’t have to break out the walker just yet, but Ash is definitely going to be a guy that is not really suited for the job. I read an essay once how you should send the old guys into battle because they know what’s coming. If they get killed, they’ve already lived a long life, and they know what pain is. Ash is kind of like that. He’s the guy they actually need to send in there because he knows all their tricks. He’s clever in his own way and very resilient. So our team will definitely be challenged in every direction. Ash in is way over his head from the get-go.
Working with other directors after Sam Raimi directed the first episode:
It was not easy. I’ll be honest with you — it was not easy. You sort of had a hangover after Sam left, because we had a good time, shot a nice, healthy pilot, and worked how Sam worked. Because Sam always takes little extra time. So when he was gone, the harshest reality of how fast we had to make the show — that hit. That hit home strong. And then I’m a canary in a coal mine on set. I’m the one who can say, “You know, guys, I don’t think this is how it should go,” or “Let’s try this or try that.” So everybody contributes all along the way. But definitely, being on set has been a challenge and I’m trying to never compare those other directors to Sam. We have a story to tell and we want them to just help tell it.
On the possibility on time travel being used on the show:
I would just say just don’t be surprised if it does happen because it has happened. So I would say that would be on the table as well. Especially, once you get into a series, your stories have got to cover you for five freakin’ years, you know what I mean? We’re having the discussions with the writing team now where we’re like “Okay, season 2!”
Ash vs Evil Dead premieres on October 31, 2015, and I think we should be in for a bloody good time.