Bruce Campbell Is Returning To His Iconic Role?
Is he back?
Now in his mid-sixties, Bruce Campbell can’t pull off the action stunts that went hand-in-hand (or hand-in-prostehtic-chainsaw) with the role of Ash Williams. But that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Evil Dead franchise. The Bubba Ho-Tep star recently revealed he’s in talks for an animated Ash vs Evil Dead series, presumably that would continue the story of the live-action Starz series of the same name that was cancelled in 2018.
Bruce Campbell was speaking to Collider when he revealed the news about the animated series. “You can do the future a lot easier in animation,” Campbell explained. “I still sound like Ash, and you know, my voice hasn’t been as beat up as my body has been so I can still do that crap. So I’ll still do the video game. And we’re already talking about an animated [series].”
Unfortunately few details about the series were revealed in the discussion, though as Bruce Campbell mentioned it won’t be his first time lending only his voice to an Evil Dead project. He voiced numerous versions of his beloved character for Evil Dead: The Game — a survival horror game that was released in May to a good deal of acclaim. He also seems to indicate he may be working on updates for the game and/or sequels.
Fans were not happy when news of Starz’s Ash vs Evil Dead‘s cancellation came in 2018, but to Bruce Campbell it might have come as better news than most. In November, the Army of Darkness star confessed that working on the series was a much tougher ordeal than most realized. “The three seasons were the longest seasons of my life,” Campbell said. “If you saw the emails pleading with various directors that were like, ‘Hey, my knee’s not working right. Be careful about tomorrow. Let’s have the stunt guy nearby. Hey, I can’t run anymore.’ It just was an endless physical struggle.”
As much as fans certainly want Bruce Campbell to take care of himself, they also want more Ash. So, as the actor says, an animated series is likely the best option. Then, as long as there are no sorcerers willing to cast spells on him forcing him to punch his own face for a few weeks, he should be okay.
Of course, we’re sure there will always be other acting opportunities for the man who immortalized such dialogue as “This… is my boomstick” and “Gimme some sugar, baby.” Still, perhaps not every job fans want to see him in will see the light of day; animated or otherwise. For example, it was only a couple of months ago that a fan petition to replace Amber Heard in the upcoming Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom with Bruce Campbell in the role of Mera reached 3 million signatures. In response, Campbell tweeted “Send me a script.” You can see that tweet below.
Not that long afterward, sone fans pushed for Bruce Campbell to follow up his cameo in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness with a much different Disney project — as Hades in Guy Ritchie’s upcoming live-action Hercules adaptation. It doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen, but Campbell didn’t mind the fan-casting. He tweeted “Not sure where this inter-web rumor began, but I back it.”
