Getting ready for more groovy Deadites because there's a new Evil Dead movie on the way. Production on Evil Dead Rise began last month, and the film will take "the undead action away from the cabin in the woods and into the city as two estranged sisters' reunion is cut short when flesh-possessing demons thrust them into a battle for survival." Although series star Bruce Campbell won't be reprising his role of Ash Williams for Evil Dead Rise, he does know a little about the project as he's one of the executive producers.
While speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Bruce Campbell was asked about Evil Dead Rise, and he teased that the Necronomicon — the book responsible for all the undead trouble — will be at the heart of the new film.
It's book-centric. 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. It's filming now in New Zealand, with some of their amazing crews down there and they're well into it. Rob Tapert is the hands-on producer and we're all very involved in the script. We all jump in at various times to chime in. But, yeah, the three of us are very involved.
Campbell also commented on Lee Cronin, who Sam Raimi handpicked to write and direct the new film. "Sam handpicked Lee Cronin, who is a very good Irish director, who did a movie called The Hole in the Ground," Campbell said. "Lee is a very interesting filmmaker and Sam also worked with him on a couple of Quibi projects [with] Sam in a producing capacity. So he hand-picked him like he had picked Fede Álvarez (for 2013's Evil Dead)." As far as whether Evil Dead Rise is a sequel or remake, Bruce Campbell isn't about to toss out any labels. "People can actually call it what [they] want: Sequel, remake, reimagining," Campbell said. "It really is just another Evil Dead movie." Evil Dead Rise is expected to be release on HBO Max in 2022.