Starz became a hero of sorts to a lot of horror fans out there when they picked up Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell’s upcoming series Ash vs. Evil Dead some months back. Campbell recently came out and shared a few background facts about the series, including how many seasons Raimi and the writers are planning, and let’s just say Starz will be on our good side for quite a few years if they stay invested in Ash’s antics.
Campbell spoke with DreadCentral about all things Ash vs. Evil Dead, including his younger co-stars, and dropped the show’s long-term plans in the process.
I was there during the casting process and they’re very talented. Aside from the ensemble, they each needed to be able to hold their own because they’ll have their own series of missions. It’s an epic tale. How you could not? I’m a strong proponent of the ‘big picture’ plan, and we are planning for five seasons.
Holy moly! Audiences have spent time with Campbell’s Ash and his myriad Deadite problems for three movies, which was badass enough. But the possibility of watching the character gruffly taking down evil beings for 50 TV episodes is enough to make me cut off my own hand and send it to Starz as a gesture of good will. I’ll probably have to send a note, since that message isn’t entirely clear out of context.
And while we have no idea just how long the network might keep the show on the air, Campbell champions them for allowing the creative team to do whatever they need, saying he and Raimi basically have the same “artistic freedom” that they had when creating the first Evil Dead movie in 1981. That’s always a good sign, though Starz hasn’t been as good about keeping series on the air as other creatively free networks like FX have.
As far as the actual content goes, Campbell makes it sound like both fans and non-fans of The Walking Dead will have something to look forward to. There are some shots fired here.
We are competitive with The Walking Dead, like, ‘We’ll show those fuckers!’ Deadites are very clever. They’re not stupid shufflers. They can mimic people, they can drive cars. They’re a fun threat. [The Walking Dead] are right there with being responsible for the current resurgence [of horror TV].
Right now, Campbell’s grizzled Ash will be joined by Ray Santiago’s Pablo, a Sancho Panza-type character, and Dana Delorenzo’s Kelly Maxwell, a wild child trying to escape her past. Sleepy Hollow star Jill Marie Jones recently joined the cast as a Michigan State Trooper who is chasing Ash for the murder of her partner.
Ash vs. Evil Dead is set to film its first of hopefully five (or more) seasons in New Zealand this spring, with plans for it to hit Starz later this year.
