The horror world experienced a loss a few days ago with the announcement that Ash vs. Evil Dead would not return for another season on Starz. That also raised many questions about the possibility of Bruce Campbell taking Ash Williams back to the big screen for another go-around in the cinematic Evil Dead franchise -- an idea that he has flirted with in recent months. Now, it looks like that is not going to happen, as Campbell has officially confirmed his retirement from the role that introduced him to Hollywood. In response to fan outcry for a Netflix revival of his series, Campbell tweeted:
Despite the fact that many fans want to see Bruce Campbell continue to play Ash Williams on another platform, the actor seems ready to call it a day. His post seems to suggest that he's not particularly interested in fan attempts to revive Ash vs. Evil Dead, and he has other personal and professional pursuits that he is interested in gnow that the show's fourth season on the network is no longer happening.
Bruce Campbell's confirmation that he will not return to the role of Ash Williams actually represents a contradiction to other comments made by the actor when Ash vs. Evil Dead's future seemed in jeopardy. Specifically, he had previously suggested that Evil Dead 3/Army of Darkness 2 could potentially result from the show's cancellation -- though he also walked back those remarks shortly after making them. Now it looks like Campbell is definitely ready to call it a day and move on to other projects. Considering how much pain and suffering Ash has been through since he and his friends first arrived at that cabin, we would say that he has earned a respite.
This ultimately raises questions about the future of the Evil Dead franchise. Bruce Campbell's retirement as Ash does not inherently mean that the series has to end, as fans saw Jane Levy's Mia inherit the film side of the series in 2013 with the release of Fede Alvarez's Evil Dead reboot film. There's currently no word as to whether or not Ash will find a new actor or the franchise will once again take a new direction with a new hero front and center, but there's precedent for telling a story without Campbell in front of the camera.
While Bruce Campbell seems to have hung up his chainsaw and boomstick for good, we will have to wait and see what the legendary, self-proclaimed B-actor will do next. Until we learn more about Campbell's next steps (or the future of the Evil Dead franchise as a whole), you can head over to our movie premiere guide to see what films are going to hit the big screen in 2018!
