…Tapert has confirmed with Now Playing that Campbell will not be appearing as Ash, the idiot-hero of the original films.
“Yes,” Tapert says when asked if the nouveau Dead will be recast, “because it will be off of the original movie. It’s five kids go to a cabin, but it’s not a continuation of the existing Evil Dead backstory.”
…and pause for a moments silence.
That news from Now Playing through Jo Blo is sad indeed. I think it does confirm what we all knew already though, with the old team standing back in the Production wings and picking a new team to look at it afresh.
The interview from Tapert goes on:
“[We’re] talking to various filmmakers about their possible interest, and it’s still in the germination stage,” says Tapert. “There are people who we would like to give a chance to create their own vision as to what Evil Dead is, so we’re kind of hearing what other people’s take might be and moving forward along those lines.”
Okay, so no one from the original team is stepping out of production duties, the film will still be about five people stuck in a remote cabin with an evil presence after them (not the plastic suited one!) and that’s about all we know. To be honest my heart has dropped on this one, I had previously said that at least with the original guys looking after production that we might get something that really does ED justice…but reading some of this, I’m really not so sure anymore.
Like so many of you, without Bruce I’m not that happy. There ‘ain’t no “groovy” escaping my lips on this one.