Here’s a story that’s not particularaly groovy. Earlier this week, new reports spread that actor Bruce Campbell was done playing Ash Williams, his iconic character from the Evil Dead franchise. Which, of course, upset many fans because Ash is freaking awesome. However, Campbell himself has now responded to the news to say, yes, it’s true. But no, it’s not news.
“Apologies if this news seems new,” Campbell posted on X. “It’s hard to communicate everything with everyone. I tapped out after [Ash vs. Evil Dead]. Mostly, the reasons were ability and interest, in equal measure. I didn’t want Ash to be compromised by declining skills and as a borderline Geezer, my interests have diverged. I’ll always love Evil Dead to death—literally.”
The underrated Ash vs. Evil Dead ended in 2018, so, in Campbell’s mind, the character has been retired for the better part of a decade. And, of course, in that time we’ve seen two new Evil Dead movies, neither of which mention the character, with a third one on the way. But, of course, that didn’t stop us from holding out hope that the Boom Stick-wielding, chainsaw-slinging Ash could pop up at some point.
Honestly though, what better way to send off a character than three seasons of a television show all about him? Plus, we’d imagine many of the fans disappointed by the news probably didn’t even watch it, which is part of why Campbell is done in the first place. So go watch Ash vs. Evil Dead, learn more about the classic character, and then let him ride off into the metaphorical sunset.
As he also mentioned, though, Campbell will be part of Evil Dead ’til the death. He and director Sam Raimi are producers on all the films, so they still have input and a financial interest. Ash might be gone, but the cash continues.
Evil Dead Burn is now available on demand. Evil Dead Wrath is coming in 2028.
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