Bruce Campbell has confirmed that the Evil Dead franchise is moving forward without Ash Williams at its center. The actor, who first introduced the iconic horror character more than four decades ago, recently reflected on the series’ evolving direction. His comments come as the franchise continues to expand following the commercial success of the 2023 film.
Bruce Campbell confirms Evil Dead has moved on from Ash
Bruce Campbell says Ash Williams is no longer part of the future of the Evil Dead franchise. The actor recently revealed that the character is not involved in any larger plans following Evil Dead Rise, despite discussions about including a small Ash-related moment in the 2023 film.
Campbell told the Detroit Free Press, “No, no. I think I think basically from Evil Dead Rise on, Ash is … you know, they wanted some little gag of Ash at the end of the movie. We did that as a lark. He’s not part of any big overriding story or scheme.”
He went on to explain that the franchise has intentionally moved away from several of the elements that it incorporated in the early years. Following the end of Ash vs Evil Dead, he said the series has “done three things: We moved away from the cabin, we’ve moved away from Sam Raimi, we’ve moved away from Ash and Bruce Campbell.”
The actor also pointed to the success of the 2023 film as proof that the franchise can continue without those elements. “Thankfully, Evil Dead Rise made the most of any money we’ve made from any Evil Dead so far, and it validated the fact that we can get away from those main elements,” he said.
Campbell first portrayed Ash Williams in Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead in 1981 and reprised the role in the second and third parts. He later returned to the character in the Starz series Ash vs Evil Dead, which ran from 2015 to 2018. Outside of the television series, Campbell’s last appearance as Ash came in a post-credits cameo for Fede Álvarez’s 2013 reboot.
Originally reported by Disheeta Maheshwari on ComingSoon.
