Fangoria wrote: Whoa: Sam Raimi And Bruce Campbell Reunite For EVIL DEAD RISE
Almost four decades after the original!

WOW, this is big news! Forty years after Sam Raimi's The Evil Dead blew the doors off and left us wanting more (which we got with the genre-changing Evil Dead 2, followed by Army of Darkness, Fede Álvarez's 2013 reboot and the 2015-2018 Starz series Ash vs Evil Dead), Raimi's reuniting with his star Bruce Campbell and producer Rob Tapert for a brand new film, Evil Dead Rise, on HBO Max – partnering with New Line! Isn't that a nice little jolt of nostalgia right to the heart?

From today's press release:

Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert and Bruce Campbell – the acclaimed filmmaking team behind the iconic “Evil Dead” franchise – will reunite with horror house New Line Cinema nearly 40 years after the Studio’s landmark release of their seminal shocker for the highly anticipated next chapter in the saga, “Evil Dead Rise,” for HBO Max.

Moving the action out of the woods and into the city, “Evil Dead Rise” tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Alyssa Sutherland (TV’s “The Mist” and “Vikings” ) and Lily Sullivan (“Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “Jungle”), whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.

With Tapert producing, and Raimi and Campbell signing on as executive producers, along with Romel Adam, John Keville and Macdara Kelleher, the new film is being written and directed by award-winning Irish filmmaker Lee Cronin, who was hand-picked to take the helm by Raimi, Tapert and Campbell after earning widespread praise from critics and fans alike for his feature directorial debut, the 2019 chiller “The Hole in the Ground.”

Said Raimi, “I’m thrilled to bring ‘Evil Dead’ back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film. The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I’m equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise.”

“At its core, ‘Evil Dead’ is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations,” added Campbell, whose embodiment of the ‘Evil Dead’ franchise’s reluctant hero, Ashley J. “Ash” Williams, has propelled the actor/filmmaker to international icon status across generations. “I can’t wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the blood-soaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition.”

Said director Cronin, “The ‘Evil Dead’ movies filled my brain with terror and awe when I first saw them at nine years old. I am excited and humbled to be resurrecting the most iconic of evil forces for both the fans and a whole new generation.”

Welcome back, Ash. Let's go.

/film wrote:New ‘Evil Dead’ Movie ‘Evil Dead Rise’ Has Begun Filming

Evil Dead Rise, the first new Evil Dead movie since the 2013 remake, is now filming. The new entry in the series hails from The Hole In the Ground filmmaker Lee Cronin, with Evil Dead grandaddies Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell on board as executive producers.

And while you may think you know what to expect from a new Evil Dead movie, Evil Dead Raise is changing up the formula. Rather than be set in a cabin in the woods like pretty much every other Evil Dead movie (save Army of Darkness), Evil Dead Rise is headed into a city setting.

Director Lee Cronin revealed on Twitter that Evil Dead Rise has begun filming in New Zealand. The horror film seems to be a sequel to the franchise as a whole, not a reboot/remake. And while Bruce Campbell’s iconic Ash isn’t due to appear, Campbell is on board as an executive producer along with original Evil Dead director Sam Raimi. Raimi also personally picked Cronin to helm the new movie.

“I’m thrilled to bring Evil Dead back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film,” said Raimi. “The company’s history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I’m equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise.”

Director Cronin added: “The Evil Dead movies filled my brain with terror and awe when I first saw them at nine years old. I am excited and humbled to be resurrecting the most iconic of evil forces for both the fans and a whole new generation.”

Evil Dead Rise “tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Alyssa Sutherland (TV’s The Mist and Vikings) and Lily Sullivan (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Jungle), whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.” The film also “moves the action out of the woods and into the city.”

If you’re familiar with the franchise, you know that that’s a change of pace. Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, and the 2013 remake all used a cabin in the woods setting, while Army of Darkness was set in the past. The TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead took the show on the road, but having the story set primarily within a city is a neat new twist for the franchise, and I’m very curious to see how it turns out.

ihorror wrote:‘Evil Dead Rise’ Test Screenings Did So Well Bruce Cambell Says it May Get a Theatrical Release

Evil Dead Rise was originally being planned as an HBO Max release only. Well, that may have just changed. Evil Dead Rise had a test screening recently and it did well. Like, really well. In fact, the plans to have it as a streaming-only release may have changed to a theatrical release!

Bruce Campbell came out and told Comic Book Resource that the film was good stuff and hinted at a theatrical release as well. He teased that it may get a theatrical release in the fall.

“Actually does not suck in the least. Lee Cronin did a great job.” Campbell told Collider. “Sam picks these director types who’ve had some experience, but we can still sort of shove them into the ‘Evil Dead’ box a little bit since these are maverick-type director. I give Sam credit, he’s not picking people who are just gonna mimic his shit. They come with very strong personalities and approaches. It’s a very European ‘Evil Dead’.”

Cronin previously directed Hole in the Ground. It was a big hit with critics and audiences. It made a name for Cronin and obviously lead Raimi to find him to direct the next Evil Dead.

We are really hoping that Evil Dead Rise does get a big theatrical release. Horror has been killing at the box office. Recently, Nope made $44 million on opening weekend. With a name known franchise name like Evil Dead, it is almost a guaranteed hit in theaters.

It helps that Campbell is out talking this well about the film. We are hoping that lights some much-needed buzz behind the next entry and it leads to us horror fans being able to see the latest Evil Dead on a big screen.

...the Lee Cronin-directed Evil Dead Rise opening on April 21, 2023.