You can’t keep the Deadites down, and they’re coming back in a new film from the original creators.
Variety reports that Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell will executive-produce EVIL DEAD RISE for New Line Cinema, to be released on HBO Max in the U.S., Canal Plus in the UK and Metropolitan in France. The series’ longtime director and star will be joined by Robert Tapert, encoring as producer. Lee Cronin, the Irish director of the acclaimed THE HOLE IN THE GROUND, was handpicked by the team to write and direct EVIL DEAD RISE, which takes the saga from the forest and medieval settings of the previous movies to the big city. According to the trade, “The twisted tale centers on two estranged sisters, portrayed by Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan, whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.” Campbell, star of the previous features and the series ASH VS. EVIL DEAD, will not appear in the new movie.
“I’m thrilled to bring EVIL DEAD back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film,” Raimi says in a statement. “The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. 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.”
“At its core,” Campbell adds, “EVIL DEAD is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations. I can’t wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the bloodsoaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition.”
“The EVIL DEAD movies filled my brain with terror and awe when I first saw them at 9 years old,” Cronin says. “I am excited and humbled to be resurrecting the most iconic of evil forces for both the fans and a whole new generation.”
EVIL DEAD RISE will shoot in New Zealand, though a start date, and airdates, have yet to be announced. Keep your eyes here for updates!
