If you’re sick of hearing updates about the future of the Evil Dead franchise, we have some bad news and some good news. The bad news is that Sam Raimi has given yet another update, but the good news is that you’re probably really going to like what he had to say.
In a recent Reddit AMA session, Raimi was asked about his plans for Evil Dead, and he had a few interesting ideas about where the franchise might go. Most immediately, he stated that he, Bruce Campbell, and producer Robert Tapert have been working on the next Evil Dead movie. “Bruce, Rob and I are working with a young filmmaker who is writing a new Evil Dead story that he will direct,” Raimi said, according to Comic Book Resources. This echoes what Campbell said back in October when he revealed that a new film was in the works from an unnamed director who was handpicked by Raimi — and who still frustratingly remains nameless.
So it definitely sounds like a new Evil Dead movie is still in the works, but what are the odds that Raimi himself will one day return to the director’s chair for a future installment? Well, Raimi addressed that, too. And while it sounds like he’s interested in directing Evil Dead again, there’s one major roadblock standing in his way. “As for me… I would love to direct a new Evil Dead movie,” Raimi said. “But I’d really like to do it with Bruce. And he says he’s retired the character. I hope not.” Could Raimi convince Campbell to come out of his self-imposed Ash retirement? That would be pretty groovy, but we’re not holding our breath.
Finally, for you fans of Fede Alvarez’s 2013 reboot, Raimi also addressed the possibility of a continuation of that, saying, “If Fede would write or direct it, yes, in a split second!”
So to sum up: There’s an Evil Dead movie in the works from a mystery writer/director with input from Raimi, Campbell, and Tapert; Raimi is interested in directing another installment if Campbell comes out of retirement to play Ash again, and Raimi is also in favor of Alvarez returning to direct his own reboot’s sequel. In other words, Sam Raimi shows no signs of saying goodbye anytime soon to the franchise he created almost 40 years ago.
