Evil Dead Rise – When Will We See This Next Movie?
Evil Dead Rise is set to hit theaters on April 21, 2023 but Bruce Campbell won't be returning to the screen in this one
The good news is that there will be another entry into the Evil Dead franchise. The bad news is that the man who has single-handedly carried the franchise, Bruce Campbell, will not be joining the cast. In fact, the whole Evil Dead milieu will be getting a facelift when Evil Dead Rise premieres in 2023. Let’s see what we know about this upcoming horror flick.
EVIL DEAD RISE WILL TAKE PLACE IN LOS ANGELES
Evil Dead Rise will be the latest entry into the franchise but will see a number of changes. First off, the setting. Instead of the terror taking place at some old, abandoned cabin in the woods, this one will take place in the gritty streets of Los Angeles. An LA apartment, to be more exact.
This new story will focus on two estranged sisters, played by Alyssa Sutherland (as Ellie) and Lily Sullivan (as Beth), whose long overdue reunion is met with horror they never imagined. Per Warner Bros., the premise reads: In the fifth Evil Dead film, a road-weary Beth pays an overdue visit to her older sister Ellie, who is raising three kids on her own in a cramped L.A. apartment.
The sisters’ reunion is cut short by the discovery of a mysterious book deep in the bowels of Ellie’s building, giving rise to flesh-possessing demons, and thrusting Beth into a primal battle for survival as she is faced with the most nightmarish version of motherhood imaginable.
ALYSSA SUTHERLAND AND LILLY SULLIVAN WILL STAR IN EVIL DEAD RISE
As mentioned, Alyssa Sutherland is on board as Ellie. Sutherland has been seen in films such as The Devil Wears Prada, Don’t Look Up, Spencer, and Blood Vessel. She has also been on TV series like New Amsterdam, Vikings, The Mist, and Timeless.
Lily Sullivan plays the younger sister Ellie, a struggling young mom of three. Sullivan is known for the TV series Camp, Romper Stomper, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Other Guy, and Barkskins. Joining Sutherland and Sullivan will be Mia Challis, Morgan Davies, Jayden Daniels, and Gabrielle Echols.
BRUCE CAMPBEL AND SAM RAIMI WILL BE PRODUCERS
Although Bruce Campbell will not be starring in Evil Dead Rise, he still does play a part in it. He, along with Sam Raimi and their Evil Dead partner Rob Tapert, will all be producing the film. Lee Cronin was chosen by Raimi to continue his vision, so Cronin will not only handle the writing duties, but he will also be behind the camera as the film’s director.
EVIL DEAD RISE WILL RELEASE IN THEATERS ON APRIL 21, 2023
It has been almost one year since production on Evil Dead Rise wrapped. Director Cronin even celebrated the fact by announcing it on his Twitter account.
So, the film had been left in limbo for the longest time as Hollywood dealt with the COVID pandemic and not knowing if movie theaters would even come back. Warner Bros. decided that it didn’t want to risk it, so they set Evil Dead Rise as an HBO Max release. This was to be the very first film in the franchise not to get a theatrical release. But things change and fortunately for Evil Dead Rise, it did.
Now, instead of premiering on HBO Max, Warner’s made the popular decision to give the film a theatrical release. You can look for the fifth Evil Dead film in movie theaters on April 21, 2023. It should be noted, though, that while the date is solid today, it is always subject to change. Warner Bros. has been doing a lot of that lately.
THE EVIL DEAD FRANCHISE STARTED IN 1981
As far as franchises go, this is one of the more popular ones. How can it not be? It has Ash, it had Deadites, it has cheeky humor, it has macho humor, and it has tons of gore. It is a horror fans wet dream and by “wet,” we mean gallons of blood. Evil Dead Rise comes from a great start.
Though Evil Dead Rise is coming much later, the franchise got its auspicious start eons ago (we’ll say a little over four decades) when two pals, Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, thrilled audiences with their very first feature film, 1981’s The Evil Dead. It was a simple tale, really. Friends travel to a cabin in the woods where they mistakenly open the door to flesh-possessing demons. But the film was an unexpected success for Campbell and Raimi, friends who had met in eighth grade, so another sequel was in order.
It was six years before the boyhood friends would put together The Evil Dead II, but it was worth the wait for fans. It was another hit; this time Ash’s trademark humor was just beginning to surface. The trademark blood and guts remained, though, titillating a fan base who ate it up and immediately wanted more.
As things often do in Hollywood, the pace to get a third Evil Dead movie was like molasses. Thankfully for fans, this time it only took Campbell and Raimi five years to introduce the further adventures of Ash. This one came in the 1992 film, Army of Darkness and while it still featured a nice dose of blood, this one leaned more into the “wit” of one Ashley J. Williams. This was also the film that had fans craving for more.
With classic and memorable lines like, “Groovy,” “Gimme some sugar, baby,” and “Hail to the King, Baby,” Campbell etched himself a place in cinema royalty. Ash became a cult hero and fans couldn’t get enough. It didn’t hurt that Sam Raimi had put together three solid stories for Ash. Check out the “Gimme some sugar, baby” clip below. The first 1:32 of the clip is worth watching just to get to that final 10 seconds or so.
ASH VS. THE EVIL DEAD RELEASED IN 2013
When it was announced that a new Evil Dead film was going to be made, fans went crazy. They had been waiting years for a new Ash adventure. But then it was announced that the new film would be a reboot and instead of featuring Ash, there would be new characters.
The film, which premiered in 2013, centered around the familiar cabin story and focused on Mia Allen, played by Jane Levy. The film was written and directed by Fede Álvarez and while it was fairly well-received, it didn’t have what fans wanted – that being Ashley Williams. If you happened to stick around for the end credits, you did get a quick glimpse of Ash.
Fast forward almost a decade. Fans finally got their wish when the Ash vs. Evil Dead series hit the Starz streaming network and ran for three seasons. It was well made, filled with Ash’s one-liners, but it was evident that Bruce Campbell was getting a little long in the tooth to play the role. So, when another new Evil Dead movie was announced, it was still met with excitement, but also had a few questions. Okay, maybe just one big question. Was Bruce Campbell coming back to play Ash? That would be a hard “no.”
So, where do you stand on a new Evil Dead feature, given that Bruce Campbell is staying behind the scenes? Was the 2013 remake and the Ash vs Evil Dead series enough, or will a new generation of Deadites in Evil Dead Rise satisfy that Evil Dead craving? Let us know.
