Summary
Despite the firstEvil Deadmovie being released 23 years ago this month, the franchise is still going strong. In fact, after a couple of years where it seemed to be mostly dormant, it’s making a bit of a resurgence. That resurgence includes a new animated series coming sometime in the future.
The animated series would be the latest installment in severalEvil Deadprojects.The most recent to hit theaterswasEvil Dead Rise, though that one didn’t involve Bruce Campbell. Campbell did bring his Ash Williams character back for theAsh vs Evil Deadseries thatran from 2015 to 2018and it’s that series that can be greatly credited with the resurgence in popularity of the franchise as a whole. It’s likely the success of that show, andEvil Dead Riseis why an animated show is on the way. However, fans anxiously awaiting the launch of that series got some bad news from Campbell just a few days ago.
Campbell was talking toComic Bookabout his new project, a series on the Satanic Panic that hasnothing to do withtheEvil Deadfranchise when the conversation did turn to the animated series. Campbell made it clear that things are moving forward but that they’re moving very slowly. He added that a finished product could be “years” away as the series moves “are slow-motion, molasses processes.”
In the process, Campbell also mentionedtwo moreEvil Deadmoviesthat are in production as the franchise continues to ramp up and take advantage of special effects that are quite a bit better than they were in 1981 when the first film hit theaters. A 2013 reboot of the original movie earned promising reactions from audiences and critics, though it didn’t really spark the kind of comeback thatAsh vs Evil Deaddid two years later.
Campbell explained that the next move for him since that television series is an animated offering because he simply can’t do the physical acting.
During the interview, Campbell explained that the next move for him since that television series is an animated offering because he simply can’t do the physical acting. There too much required of playing someone who is fighting Deadites on a weekly basis. However, he loves the Ash Williams character and wants to keep playing it, he just needs to be able to take a break and not get tossed around by fake evil. That’s one of the big reasons whyEvil Dead Riseand the two moviesin the series that are still coming, won’t include his character.
The question now is just when the animatedEvil Deadseries will hit television and what network or streaming service it will land on once it’s ready. Of course, those kinds of details could obviously be part of the process that is moving molasses slow. The good news here is that while it was announced earlier this summer, there aren’t any plans to leave it in the dust. Though it does sound like 2026 is going to be the earliest the show could officially launch.
