When it comes to wishing for sequels to some of horror's most iconic franchises, you'll find Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD among the most desired for another round of blood, guts, and boomsticks up on the big screen. Yesterday while looking to promote director Nicolas Pesce's THE GRUDGE on Reddit – a film that Raimi produced alongside Rob Tapert and Taka Ichise – the DRAG ME TO HELL and DARKMAN helmer opened the floor to fans as part of an "Ask Me Anything" session.
Naturally, and in no time at all, a Reddit user by the name of SumoftheOffspring44 asked: Will we get a final Sam Raimi Evil Dead movie?
To which Raimi simply replied: "Bruce, Rob and I are working with a young filmmaker who is writing a new Evil Dead story that he will direct. As for me…. I would love to direct a new Evil Dead movie… but I'd really like to do it with Bruce. And he says he's retired the character. I hope not."
Following Raimi's response, those tuning in for the AMA began sharing their ideas for a new film in the EVIL DEAD canon. One user by the name tiny-starship pitched an EVIL DEAD sequel that features "Old Man Ash" defending a Florida retirement community, which then led to others singing the praises of director Don Coscarelli's BUBBA HO-TEP – a movie in which Campbell stars as an elderly Elvis Presley who fights a wayward Egyptian mummy alongside a black "JFK," played by Ossie Davis. If you've never seen it, I can't recommend it enough.
News of there being a new EVIL DEAD in the works has been known ever since last year, when Raimi revealed that he, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert were working with "a new director" on another chapter in the series. While it's a bit of a bummer that Raimi won't be directing the next installment of EVIL DEAD, fans of the series should know that he'd handpicked the "new hire" himself, and that he has the upmost confidence in this person's ability to take the franchise in a bold, new direction.
What say you about there being a new EVIL DEAD in the works with Raimi's blessing? Personally, I loved Fede Alvarez's 2013 EVIL DEAD, and wouldn't mind seeing an "unknown" take a crack at adding their own spin to the franchise. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments section below.