Good news, fans of the Evil Dead series, especially the 2013 remake of the original Evil Dead: Bruce Campbell has confirmed he will return as Ash in the upcoming sequel to Army of Darkness. The director of the original series Sam Raimi has had a slower schedule since directing Oz the Great and Powerful and producing the Evil Dead remake, reportedly due to writing the sequel to the Army of Darkness, the 1992 spin off of the Evil Dead series. Potentially drawing on the teaser at the end of the credits of 2013’s Evil Dead, this may hint at a melding of the two timelines for a crossover film coming later.  

55-year-old Campbell has played Ash Williams, the original hero of the Evil Dead series voted the “24^th Greatest Movie Character of All Time” by Empire Magazine, in 4 films not including the upcoming Army of Darkness sequel. Speaking at Wizard World Nashville Comic Con, Campbell spoke on the role the possibilities of him reprising it given the time that has passed: “The last one was twenty-two years ago. I just haven’t been racing to do it. Sam Raimi is just a little bit busy making the biggest movies in Hollywood. I used to be busy. Now I’m not. That’s why I’m here. Ash would have to stop occasionally from chasing some deadite to catch his breath. Maybe we could do that, I guess. That would be exciting. Fight in a walker. That would be all right. Hit them with my cane. Fake them out, have a fake heart attack, distract a zombie. I like it…[Seriously] All right, sir, the answer is yes.”

Amusingly enough, this story has yet to be  confirmed by Campbell himself.  Rumors for the sequel have circulated since March, and the teaser at the end of the Evil Dead  remake has primed the pump for a triumphant return to the role, no matter how long the role might end up being. No release date has been given for the sequel – it’s in 2016 – and no word has been given as to who else will be cast or whether Raimi or Fede Alvarez, the most recent Evil Dead’s director, will helm the Army of Darkness remake.  However, as the Rumor wheel spins up and Raimi finishes writing the script, more information about Campbell’s involvement, other casting, and the overall production will come to the service. In either case, it’ll be a long three years.