Bruce Campbell has formally retired from the role Evil Dead franchise hero Ash, a character played in three films and three seasons of television over the course of forty years. So while franchise creator Sam Raimi still hopes to make another Evil Dead movie with Campbell, and while they’re pursuing the idea of continuing the Ash vs. Evil Dead TV show as an animated series (since Campbell is still willing to provide the voice of Ash), Ash is not a character in the upcoming film Evil Dead Rise, which is scheduled to reach theatres on April 21st… But writer/director Lee Cronin has revealed that there is some Bruce Campbell hidden somewhere in the movie.
Speaking with Empire magazine, Cronin said, “It felt like in order to move the franchise somewhere new and to unlock the potential of the universe to tell more stories, it needed to break free [of Ash]. But Bruce is hidden in the movie somewhere. Bruce has a small presence in the movie. The first person to figure it out and send me a tweet, I’ll give them 50 bucks.“
Raimi handpicked Lee Cronin to write and direct a new Evil Dead movie after seeing his feature directorial debut The Hole in the Ground. The story Cronin crafted for Evil Dead Rise has the following synopsis: A road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A apartment. The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.
Although the film is set in Los Angeles, filming actually took place in New Zealand. Lily Sullivan and Alyssa Sutherland star as the estranged sisters at the heart of the story. Gabrielle Echols, Morgan Davies, and Nell Fisher play Ellie’s three kids. Mia Challis is playing Jessica, “an 18 year old girl, who is obsessed with fashion and Instagram. Jessica loves to be the center of attention, although she is smarter than she lets on”.
We don’t know what sort of “hidden Bruce” Evil Dead Rise might have in it, but we do know that Campbell produced the film alongside Raimi and Rob Tapert, as those three hold the rights to the series. Evil Dead Rise is a collaboration between Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, and Ghost House Pictures.
Are you looking forward to seeing Evil Dead Rise next month? Will you be playing “spot the hidden Bruce” in the theatre? Let us know by leaving a comment below.