klimov wrote:zombie flick

TC wrote:

klimov wrote:zombie flick

there's your problem right there.

darkness wrote:Well the dead do rise, so technically that would fit the definition of zombie I believe.

iHorror wrote:Starz Exec Reveals New Details About ‘Ash vs. Evil Dead’ TV Series

It’s a new year, which naturally means that the big players in the TV industry are in the midst of the annual winter gathering of the Television Critics Association. New series are being hyped up, returning veterans are letting loose about what 2015 has in store for TV’s most popular characters, and network bigwigs are talking up their channel’s upcoming offerings.

Case in point, Starz head honcho Chris Albrecht recently used a TCA interview with IGN to reveal new details about the highly anticipated Sam Raimi-produced series Ash vs. Evil Dead. Here are some of the highlights.

First off, Albrecht made it clear that Ash vs. Evil Dead’s episodes will not run for a full hour in length, and will instead be presented as a tightly-packed 30 minutes of weekly insanity. The reduced length is said to be the idea of producers Raimi, Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert, with the plan seemingly being to focus more on the Evil Dead 2 style of comedic horror and less on the original Evil Dead’s genuine scares.

Albrecht also noted that Ash vs. Evil Dead will shoot entirely in New Zealand, a country best known as the home of Peter Jackson’s theatrical rendition of Middle Earth. Producer Rob Tapert lives in New Zealand, and Starz’ previous drama Spartacus filmed there, making the locale a natural fit. That said, the story will still take place entirely in America, necessitating the importation of American cars and signage.

Of course, the most pressing question from fans is probably “When will Ash vs. Evil Dead” premiere? Albrecht did not provide a firm timetable for the series’ debut, but said that the fourth quarter of 2015 seems to be the likeliest option.

iHorror wrote:Latest on TV Series Ash vs. Evil Dead; Ash Gets Two Sidekicks!

One of the most exciting things happening this year is the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which at long last marks the return of Bruce Campbell’s iconic character Ash Williams. In the series, Ash again does battle with the Deadites, and today we’ve got a tasty project update for ya!

As reported by Deadline, the 10-episode Starz series has cast Ray Santiago (Touch) and Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) in supporting roles, both of them serving as sidekicks that will help Ash in his quest to rid the world of dead things.

Santiago will play Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick – a Sancho Panza to Ash’s Don Quixote. Pablo believes in Ash’s heroism even if Ash himself doesn’t.

DeLorenzo is Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past. Reluctantly dragged into the fight against Evil with Ash and Pablo, Kelly finds a different kind of family with her fellow Deadite slayers.

“It’s a threesome, which is a good number,” Campbell recently said about the series’ protagonists. “They’re supposed to be two very good counterparts. One is a male-bonding situation; the other is father-figure deal, since Ash could have a daughter the same age as this character. Hopefully we’ll pull Ash out of his loner-veteran mode and get him back into being a human being again.”

In Ash vs. Evil Dead, the aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead is finally forced to face his demons, when a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind.

Evil Dead creator Sam Raimi is attached to direct the pilot of Ash vs. Evil Dead, paving the way for other filmmakers to come in and helm subsequent episodes. That said, it’s been promised that Raimi will be very hands-on, and will be involved throughout the series.

The series is set to film on location in New Zealand this spring for premiere on Starz in late 2015.

IGN wrote:BRUCE CAMPBELL ON ASH VS. EVIL DEAD: "IT'S GOING TO BE A MUCH BIGGER STORY"
Executive producers Bruce Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert talk about why they're psyched to bring Ash (and his war with the Evil Dead) back to life for the new Starz series.

Production has officially begun on the Starz original series Ash Vs. Evil Dead - the TV adaptation of the cult horror franchise from original creators Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and star Bruce Campbell. Shooting has begun down in New Zealand for the first 10-episode season, featuring Campbell reprising the role of Ash - now an aging, traumatized lothario ever fearful of return of the dastardly Deadites who've been dormant for decades.

Now, after 30 years, the "Evil" is rising once again. Is it Ash's fault that the Deadites are back?

"Of course," laughed Sam Raimi.

Yes, IGN's got an official "start of production" set photo to share with you, featuring all three executive producers -- Tapert, Campbell, and Raimi -- as well as some wise words from them about the new series.

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"[Ash] is no finer or nobler or saner of a character than when we last saw him," Raimi, who is currently directing the pilot episode, revealed. "If anything, I think he's digressed. He's sort of sunk down to all of our lowest instincts. And it's from that low point, I think, that a hero will have to be born. Greatness has been thrust upon him."

Campbell then remarked on Raimi's involvement with the first episode. "I've never been directed by anybody else as this character," he said. "So thank god he's doing the pilot so we can get reaquainted with the approach to this character because when he's off doing post on this pilot we'll have to go off into the dark without him. But he will be consulting quite heavily."

Raimi then confessed that that doing an actual Evil Dead TV series, complete with other writers and directors, was the most "worrisome" part of this new project. "How will these new writers -- how will these new actors, new technicians, new directors and producers continue to tell the story?" he wondered, likening the scenario to sending your child off to kindergarten for the first time. "It's hard to let go of complete control of something that's so close to us. So the 'bigger sandbox' part of this project is what scares me actually."

"You're doing a TV show now and not a feature film," Campbell said. "You actually have to structure everything differently. You have to create a much larger world because the demands of the audience are bigger. Every week you're entertaining them. You have to have multiple stories, angles and tangents. It's going to be a much bigger story."

So what will the tone of Ash Vs Evil Dead be? Fans of the franchise will note that the series grew more comedic as it went along. But then there was the Ash-less straight horror remake/reimagining from 2013. "It's a mix of both," Raimi told us. "We've got elements of the Evil Dead films, which have very hard-edged intense horror designed to really frighten the audience. It's really no-holds-barred there. Starz has really taken the reins off of us and let us go to town in order to thrill the audience. Scare the heck out of them. But also there is a comedic element that is alive in this."

"The thing we found that audiences liked the most about the Evil Dead films -- more and more the thing that really made them different -- was Bruce Campbell," Raimi continued. "And more and more we brought him to the forefront of the pictures. First he was just the guy who happened to star in the movie because he was the last survivor. And my best friend and the only actor I'd ever worked with. But then we started to realize 'the audience really likes this guy' and that actually makes this special. So then it all becomes about him. And so we delved into Bruce's natural strength as a performer. And I think the third one, Army of Darkness, really tried to capitalize on that and the character he'd been creating over the first two. So here, I think what we tried to do was go back to the horror -- of the first and second Evil Dead -- but with the character of Ash that Bruce had created in the second and third Evil Dead. So it's really a combination. Something we haven't seen before."

So what is it about Ash that audiences love so much? Campbell explained. "Ash has no special skills," he said. "He's not a former Navy SEAL. He's not FBI. He's not CIA. He's not trained by anyone. He is the average viewer. But I think in this particular case -- the way the character's been set up, the way that Sam has written it -- he's a relatable hero. I think in entertainment there has to be an aspect of that. Especially in television because you've gotta get the people to come back for more. They have to be able to relate to that character. Hopefully the audience will root for Ash, laugh at him, an be completely frustrated by his inabilities sometimes."

Campbell then spoke about how psyched he was to return to this character, and this world, after so many years. "We've all been through a lot of experiences over the past 30 years," he stated. "Rob and Sam and myself. Producing and acting and directing and such. We can now bring our experiences back to the concept that got us all into the business. That to me is one of the most exciting prospects. When I did Evil Dead, the thing that I'm arguably most known for was that I was at the most least experienced point in my life. So everyone knows the movie where I was the s***tiest version of myself as an actor. So 30 years later, I've learned a few tricks. Sam's learned a few tricks. Rob too. And now we get to apply that."

"I am not going anywhere," Campbell added, regarding whether or not the show was designed to possibly pass the torch over to a new hero. "This is the show I'm going to devote, basically, every ounce of my aging energy into. And this is something that you don't take lightly. It was a long road to get here, starting back in 1979. But creatively, if it's decided that Ash is no longer needed, then I'll happily step aside. But this isn't a hobby for me."

And what of the famed Deadite-slaying chainsaw? Surely, it has to make an appearance as it's featured in the official Ash Vs. Evil Dead poster, but it never hurts to get confirmation. "Bruce has stored his rig over the past 30 years," Raimi said. "In case this TV show ever came up. Ash has been living in fear of a resurgence of the Evil Dead. Of the Deadites. And so that rusted hunk of his is the one thing he's kept well-oiled and in tip-top shape. So I think we will see that sweet baby come back. And roaring to life, slicing and dicing on the Deadites."