'Evil Dead' Sequel Coming to HBO Max
Evil will rise once again as an official sequel to “Evil Dead” is in production at New Line Cinema and set to stream on HBO Max, without any theatrical release confirmation as of yet. “Evil Dead Rise” will be executively produced by fan favourites Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, marking a new chapter in the “Evil Dead” saga. The production is also set to appear on Canal Plus in the U.K. and Metropolitan in France.
Extensive knowledge of the project is being kept under wraps, but “The Hole in the Ground” director Lee Cronin has been elected by Raimi to breathe new life into the franchise. Following Campbell’s retirement from the role of Ash, “Evil Dead Rise” is aiming to tell a new story with two female protagonists, Alyssa Sutherland (“The Mist”) and Lilly Sullivan (“I Met a Girl”). Early plot details indicate the two actresses will play estranged sisters faced with a turbulent past in order to survive the new wave of Deadites. There is also talk of a new setting, taking the franchise from the original lonely cabin in the woods to a more urban environment.
The “Evil Dead” saga has already seen many sequels and reboots. The original trilogy even found Ash wielding the now iconic detachable chainsaw in “Army of Darkness”. More recent reimaginings played on the tropes of the franchise, like the serial adaptation “Ash vs. Evil Dead” that ran for three seasons on Starz. Fede Álvarez even heightened the blood-bath atmosphere in his part reboot part sequel “Evil Dead” in 2013.
In a statement, Raimi said that “I’m thrilled to bring ‘Evil Dead’ back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film.” He also praised the talents of Cronin, who he hand-picked himself: “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.” Raimi is currently finishing “Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, signaling his first return to the Marvel universe since his original “Spider-Man” trilogy of films.
No release date is confirmed as of yet for “Evil Dead Rise”, but Campbell revealed back in March that production would start in 2021 in New Zealand. With HBO Max set to stream the project, chances are that it won’t be long till we are all seeing blood-soaked characters battling the weird and wonderful world of parasitic demons. Groovy!