Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are resurrecting the Evil Dead horror film franchise. Per Variety, the new installment, titled Evil Dead Rise, is in the works via New Line Cinema. Instead of theaters, it will land on HBO Max in the US, Canal Plus in the UK, and Metropolitan in France.
Raimi, who created the series and directed the original trilogy, won’t be directing Evil Dead Rise. Campbell’s longtime protagonist Ash Williams won’t be appearing onscreen, either, as the actor will be only executive producing with Raimi.
Instead, Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin was hand-picked to write and direct the new entry in the franchise. Australian actresses Alyssa Sutherland (Vikings) and Lily Sullivan (Mental) have been tapped to star in the sequel.
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Evil Dead Rise builds off the original trilogy and centers around two estranged sisters “whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.”
“I’m thrilled to bring Evil Dead back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film,” Raimi said in a statement. “The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I’m equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise.”
Campbell added, “At its core, Evil Dead is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations. I can’t wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the blood-soaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition.”
The original Evil Dead trilogy launched with 1981’s The Evil Dead and its sequels, 1987’s Evil Dead II and 1993’s Army of Darkness. The film franchise was rebooted by Sony with 2013’s Evil Dead, followed by Starz’s 2015 Ash vs. Evil Dead series which concluded in 2018 after three seasons.
