The remake of Sam Raimi’s cult horror film Evil Dead certainly took the franchise back to its roots, but it did not have that tongue-in-cheek mastery so prevalent in the later sequels. So, it’s good to hear that some of the good, old-fashioned Evil Dead magic is still alive, as Starz prepares its series Ash vs. Evil Dead for a 2015 premiere.
Ash vs. Evil Dead features the return of Bruce Campbell as Ash, the stock boy/monster hunter with a chainsaw hand and a penchant for attracting legions of Deadites. According to the official plot description, Ash has been spending the past 30 years avoiding maturity – right up until a plague of Deadites threatens all of humanity. Now, the unlikely hero has to head back into action, but this time he won’t be alone: he has two new friends to aid him in defeating the Evil Dead.
The series has cast Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo as Ash’s new pals. Santiago will be playing Pablo Simon Bolivar, a “Sancho Panza to Ash’s Don Quioxote,” with a powerful faith in Ash’s heroism. DeLorenzo, meanwhile, gets the part of Kelly, a ” moody wild child trying to outrun her past,” who finds a family with Ash and Bolivar.
While the whole idea of Bolivar as a Sancho Panza seems intriguing, I’m a bit more skeptical about the “moody wild child.” I’m sure that there are other ways to portray kickass women. Of course, we shall have to see what the show makes of it.
Sam Raimi will direct the first episode of the ten-episode series, based on a script by himself, Ivan Raimi, Craig DiGregorio, and Tom Spezialy. Based solely on that line-up, I can safely say that I’m excited about this.
Ash vs. Evil Dead begins shooting this spring in New Zealand, with a projected airdate on Starz later in 2015.