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Raimi Previews Evil Dead Reboot at Comic-Con

Fans of Sam Raimi’s cult Evil Dead movie franchise have waited a long time for a new chapter since Army of Darkness was released in 1992. Turns out they’re in luck: They will have ten new chapters soon, as Starz TV launches the 10-episode Ash vs. Evil Dead series this fall. In the television version Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons – personal and literal. Former Xena: Warrior Princess actress Lucy Lawless joins the cast as a mysterious newcomer who may be a hero or a villain. “When we meet Ash again after all these years, he’s living in a trailer so things haven’t gone so well,” Campbell told us at an exclusive meet-up with the HFPA at Comic-Con, where the set of his trailer has been recreated on the floor at the Ash vs. Evil Dead booth in the Convention Center. For the 57-year-old actor who played Ash in The Evil Dead (1981), The Evil Dead II (1987) and Army of Darkness (1992), the role was the high point of his career and he’s never shied away from embracing a return. “It was like slipping back into an old pair of comfortable shoes playing this character again after all these years,” he admits. “The fans have been waiting for a long time and both Sam Raimi and I talked about a possible film for years but realized it was better for fans to have the equivalent of ten new films on TV rather than one theatrical film.” If anyone expects the gore quotient will be downgraded for TV, think again. “No Starz isn’t afraid of blood and gore,” Campbell admits. “We were filming a scene not long ago where I was killing someone and there was so much blood raining down on me filling up my mouth that I almost choked!”. Jenny Cooney Check out the just-released trailer CLICK HERE!