Cult film icon Bruce Campbell shared that his now retired character Ash Williams still has hopes of resurrecting in an Evil Dead animated series continuation. According to the actor, director/franchise Sam Raimi is still on board with the idea, and Campbell is eager to get back to kicking zombie butt with less physical wear and tear.
“All I can say is we’re actively pursuing it. Sam’s a busy guy. He had a big hit movie, so he’s got a lot on his plate, but he and his brother are actively shaping out the world,” Campbell told Bloody Disgusting in a recent interview. “It’s one thing to get an animator and say, ‘Hey, animate this!’ You’ve got to know what you’re going to animate. I look forward to it, because my voice hasn’t aged as much as I have.”
The notion of an animated spinoff was first hinted at during San Diego Comic-Con last year.
Campbell starred in the original, outrageous 1981 film The Evil Dead, sequels Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness and TV series return Ash vs. Evil Dead (2015-2018). He has also voiced Ash for games based on the films, most recently Evil Dead: The Game, as well as multiplayer horror mash-up Dead By Daylight.
Other notable live-action roles for the convention circuit favorite include his starring turn as retiree Elvis Presley in Bubba Ho-Tep, the master thief Autolycus in TV’s Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, the Maniac Cop movies and Ethan & Joel Coen’s The Hudsucker Proxy, to name a few. Recently, he’s popped up in Hallmark Christmas movies.
He is no stranger to voice acting for animation and video games either, with credits including Cars 2, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, The Ant Bully, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, Archer, The Last Kids on Earth, Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventures, El Tigre , Duck Dodgers and My Life as a Teenage Robot.
Now, Campbell is anticipating the release of the franchise’s latest installment: Evil Dead Rise, written and directed by Lee Cronin and based on Raimi’s universe. Raimi and Campbell executive produced the project, with the demon-dustin’ star noting that the VFX in this April 21 release will be nothing to sneer at: “No one will ever be able to make fun of the Evil Dead special effects ever again as long as I’m alive,” he told BD. “They used to love to do that; cheese-ball effects, garden hoses spewing stuff. Well, you know what? Eat it, b******, because this is good stuff you’re about to see!”
He is also preparing to kick off his nationwide Bruce-O-Rama tour in April, which will include fan trivia and a special movie screening at each engagement.
