The Deadites are coming back! But Bruce Campbell is coming right along with them, as he reprises his role as Ashley J. Williams from the Evil Dead and Army of Darkness films.
Entertainment Weekly has posted the first photo of Campbell as Ash from Ash vs Evil Dead, alongside Campbell’s new co-stars, Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo.
Santiago is playing Ash’s new sidekick, Pablo Simon Bolivar, while DeLorenzo is porrtaying a “moody wild child” named Kelly Maxwell. Both Pablo and Kelly are Ash’s co-workers at Value Stop when the series begins, and both will be pulled into the insanity of Ash’s world.
“It’s The Searchers with carnage and mayhem,” noted Campbell. “I’m relegated a little bit into the John Wayne mode these days with my team—the young, virile, evil fighters who will pair up with Ash and take on this nemesis: this never ending, ever evolving nemesis.”
Related: Watch a New Teaser For Ash vs Evil Dead
Campbell also revealed what Ash has been doing since he was last seen in Army of Darkness.
“Not much!” exclaimed Campbell. “He was perfectly happy doing basically nothing: telling lies about how he lost his hand in bars late at night. That was basically his MO. So, he’s not really the guy who should be dealing with this right now. But…he is. He’s our guy!”
The EW humorously reports that Ash is still a stock boy, the same position he held at S-Mart two decades ago. Returning Evil Dead director and producer, Sam Raimi also indicated that Ash is directly at fault for bringing the Deadites back into the world.
“He’s the only one stupid enough to really tamper with those spirits,” admitted Raimi. “And he does. But he’s also still a really good monster fighter. So, he’s also going to be kicking some deadite buttocks, if you’ll pardon the French.”
Ash vs Evil Dead will premiere this fall on Starz with a ten episode first season. It is widely expected that the first trailer from the series will debut next week at San Diego Comic-Con International.
