Starz Network has released the first teaser for the upcoming series that will serve as a sequel to Sam Raimi’s popular Evil Dead horror franchise, and the 15-second video sets the tone with the sound of a chainsaw revving up for another battle with the soul-swallowing Deadites.
Bruce Campbell will reprise his franchise-leading role as reluctant demon-fighter Ashley J. Williams (a.k.a. “Ash”) in the series, which is set several decades after the events of 1992’s Army of Darkness. The series follows an aging Ash doing his best to avoid the responsibilities of being the world’s savior, only to have his past catch up with him when a Deadite plague threatens humanity once again.
Campbell is joined in the cast by Spartacus actress Lucy Lawless as a mysterious woman who thinks Ash may have something to do with the Deadite plague, Sleepy Hollow actress Jill Marie Jones as a Michigan State Trooper who blames Ash for her partner’s death, and Touch actor Ray Santiago as Ash’s loyal sidekick in his battle against the Deadites.
Raimi, who kicked off the franchise with the 1981 cult classic The Evil Dead, will direct the pilot episode of Ash Vs. Evil Dead. The episode was co-written by Raimi and his brother, Ivan Raimi (Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), as well as Craig DiGregorio (Chuck) and Tom Spezialy (Chuck, Reaper). DiGregorio will serve as the showrunner for the series, with Campbell, Sam Raimi, and Rob Tapert (Evil Dead, Spartacus) as executive producers.
While the 2013 film Evil Dead is considered to be both a pseudo-sequel and reboot of the original trilogy (Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness), it’s uncertain whether that film will have any connection to the Starz series.
The first season of Ash Vs. Evil Dead will span 10 half-hour episodes, with an expected premiere in late 2015 on Starz.
