Wow, I’m not really sure how to take this news right now. Fede Alvarez and his writing partner Rodo Sayagues were the geniuses who rebooted Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead to a pretty positive reception (I personally loved the film), with Fede’s chaotic vision driving this bloody, violent, balls-to-the-wall horror extravaganza. Not only that, but Fede has been teasing all these crazy ideas on where the franchise can go, from doing multiple sequels to having a new world/old world meet-up between Ashley “Ash” Williams and Mia – tying together both Alvarez’s and Raimi’s franchises. We know Fede has other projects going on, but he still seemed awfully excited to get Evil Dead 2 going – especially with Army Of Darkness 2 being confirmed.
Well, it looks like if any of the above teasers are going to happen, they’re going to happen without Fede Alvarez and Rodo Sayagues. While Fede has yet to comment on the matter, Rodo spoke to Al Gorosito about his upcoming projects, and when Evil Dead 2 was brought up, Rodo had some bad news for fans who absolutely adored their Evil Dead remake:
“Look, I am sorry to tell you this but that movie won’t happen. Evil Dead 2 is not going to happen, at least not with us involved. We left that project many months ago because we preferred to put our energies on other things. I don’t know if the producers still have intentions of making it. But what I can tell you is that we are not part of that project.”
That, right there, is a bombshell. Personally, Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead “remake” reinstated my faith in the bigger-budget Hollywood remakes – and the Evil Dead franchise. The idea of having Fede continue down his own grittier, scarier path while Sam Raimi created his own goofy arc, only to eventually meet – that right there made my heart jump the first time it was hinted at. I’m not saying whoever is brought in won’t be capable of delivering the same quality, but Fede knocked his challenge out of the park, and I was really excited to see if he could continue his Necronomicon-inspired horror with the same feverish insanity.
So what did the team walk away from Evil Dead 2 for? Well, according to Rodo, the duo have a very busy year coming up: Dante’s Inferno, an unconfirmed horror movie, a mystery project, and the already announced Maquina – which he revealed some brand new details about:
“It is a science fiction movie that takes place almost in the present. It has a resemblance with the world of Terminator 2: Let’s say Los Angeles in a couple of years, with some technologically advanced innovations. The story centers on a teenager that finds himself in a messy corporate affair.”
Alright, so while I’m admittedly bummed these two (apparently) won’t be involved in Evil Dead 2, it sounds like they have some pretty exciting projects to fill the void. Unfortunately, because of their abandoning of Raimi’s franchise, many questions remain unanswered. For starters, is this sequel even happening anymore? If so, who will be tapped and brought in – an unknown, or someone established? When will Fede confirm this news himself? WHAT IN THE WIDE, WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS IS A’GOIN ON HERE?!
So what do you guys think, is this news as big of a shocker to you as it is to me?