Bruce Campbell Is Officially Done Playing Evil Dead’s Ash

Actor Bruce Campbell says he’s done playing Evil Dead‘s Ash Williams. Campbell has portrayed Ashley Joanna Williams, better known as Ash, since 1981’s The Evil Dead. The Evil Dead was written and directed by Sam Raimi, a lifelong friend of Campbell’s. Raimi cast Campbell as Ash in the extremely low-budget film that saw Campbell put up property as collateral to finish the movie, which earned Campbell a producer credit. The result was a finished film that would become a horror classic while introducing the world to Campbell’s quippy, reluctant hero Ash.

Campbell went on to play Ash again in 1987’s Evil Dead II, which acted as a reboot and sequel. Evil Dead II also gave Ash his iconic chainsaw hand, which would become synonymous with the character. Campbell returned for 1992’s third installment, Army of Darkness, which saw Ash traveling to medieval times. Following Army of Darkness, the franchise laid dormant for years before a reboot was made with 2013’s Evil Dead, which featured Campbell in a post-credit scene as Ash. Campbell returned as Ash in a leading role just a few years later with the TV show Ash vs Evil Dead, which ran for three seasons before it met cancellation. Throughout this time, Campbell even voiced Ash in several video games based on the Evil Dead films, including Evil Dead: Hail to the King, Evil Dead: A Fistful of Boomstick, and Evil Dead: Regeneration. However, it seems as though Campbell is ready to step away from the character that helped launch his career.

Campbell recently spoke with Collider to promote his new film Black Friday, during which he was asked about Ash and what the future of Evil Dead may hold. Campbell didn’t hold back, saying, “I’m done playing Ash.” He went on to elaborate on the decision, saying, “I’ve retired the character because I physically just can’t do him anymore, so why bother?” Campbell discussed the new direction the franchise is taking with the upcoming film Evil Dead Rise, which allows him to step away from Ash, saying, “It’s time to hang up the chainsaw.” Check out Campbell’s comments below:

“I’m done playing Ash, so that determines a lot of where we go with the franchise without that character, but there are more stories. We’re doing it book-focused these days. That darn book gets around, and that’s how we play it. That book wound up in an urban environment with a single mom, so let’s see what happens. It’s fun to fiddle with it. There’s not gonna be any traditional form of Evil Dead anymore. Ash is gone. I’ve retired the character because I physically just can’t do him anymore, so why bother? Why do I do it? It’s time to hang up the chainsaw. But we still are filmmakers, we’re still producers, we’re still creative-type dudes, so we were like, ‘How do we keep this going otherwise?’ Sam [Raimi] handpicked Fede Alvarez to do the remake a few years ago. He handpicked Lee Cronin for this one. These are Sam Raimi proteges that we hope will do a good job.”

Campbell’s comments are understandable given that he’s played the character for almost 40 years, though it’s sure to break the hearts of numerous fans. Ash’s place as a horror icon has even been honored over the years. Empire magazine dubbed Ash the 24th Greatest Movie Character of All Time in 2008 before voting him the Greatest Horror Movie Character Ever in 2013. UGO.com also listed Ash as number 11 on their list of Top 100 Heroes of All Time.

Following the cancellation of Ash vs Evil Dead, Campbell said he was done playing Ash, a statement he is now confirming beyond any doubt. While the Evil Dead franchise will continue with Evil Dead Rise, which features Campbell and Raimi as executive producers, it looks like Ash will not be making an appearance. However, fans of the character will have at least one more chance to hear Campbell voice Ash in the upcoming video game, Evil Dead: The Game, which is slated for release next year. Even without Campbell returning to play Ash in future Evil Dead installments, Ash’s place in the horror history has been firmly cemented.

Source: Collider

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Timothy McClelland
(233 Articles Published)

Tim McClelland is a TV/Movie News Writer for Screen Rant, and his screenplays have accrued more than 25 awards and selections in competition. He got his start when his short biography of Augusten Burroughs was published in 2008, and his career has seen him write video game walkthroughs, web content, and interactive fiction for mobile platforms. Tim resides in Durham, NC, with a rabid passion for film, TV, video games, and comics.

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