Ash Vs. Evil Dead Animated Show's Delay Addressed By Bruce Campbell: "Things Like This Take Forever"

Bruce Campbell addresses the delays in the Ash vs. Evil Dead animated series. Campbell is known for his work on the Evil Dead series, which began with The Evil Dead in 1981. Campbell plays the lead role of Ash Williams in the series, who is a college student who is forced to survive after the four people he is vacationing with face demonic possession. Ash remains the lead character in the following two films, Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness. The Evil Dead was also developed into a TV series, titled Ash vs. Evil Dead, which ran for three seasons.

In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant for his new show Hysteria!, Campbell discusses the status of the Ash vs. Evil Dead animated adaptation. Campbell first confirmed that "[they]'re developing an animated series." The Evil Dead actor did not seem to have concrete updates, however, as to when that series would arrive. Instead, he noted that "things like this take forever, though," and thus one should check back in with him in several years. Check out the full quote from Campbell below:

Well, we're developing an animated series, so I can still do that. Things like this take forever, though. So check back in about five years. [Chuckles]

What This Means For The Ash Vs. Evil Dead Animated Show

The Show's Development Stage Is Unclear

Close

The statement from Campbell comes nearly three years after the actor initially teased his interest in the project in December 2021. In July 2022, the actor verified that an Ash vs. Evil Dead animated show was in talks, and then last year, he confirmed that it was in active development. At the time, Campbell mentioned that they were "actively pursuing it," while still noting that Evil Dead series creator Sam Raimi is "a busy guy." From the most recent quote, it seems like that development is not as active as the 2023 quote would imply.

Related Bruce Campbell's Evil Dead Rise Cameo Cleverly Avoids A Plot Hole With Sam Raimi's Original Trilogy Bruce Campbell has a subtle cameo in Evil Dead Rise through which this movie cleverly avoided an Ash Williams plot hole with Raimi's trilogy.

Campbell is also correct that animation can take a long time. With a series as beloved as The Evil Dead, Raimi, Campbell, and the rest of their team will want to make sure that they get it right. If they're still very early on in development, however, the desire for perfection in a project like this could further delay things for the Ash vs. Evil Dead animated series. Other adult animated series, such as Invincible, have also taken years between seasons, so even if the series releases to success, it might be a while before the next installment arrives.

The original Ash vs Evil Dead was cancelled after three seasons, despite the cast wishing to continue the story.

What Might Make Ash vs. Evil Dead Progress More Quickly

Campbell Has A New Show Coming Out

That said, there is an element that might push Ash vs. Evil Dead to move a bit faster. This is the resurgence in Campbell's horror / horror-comedy popularity with his upcoming show Hysteria!. Hysteria! releases this Friday, October 18, and features Campbell in a key guest starring role. If Hysteria! proves to be popular, I can imagine that Raimi and his team might be more apt to make development on the Ash vs. Evil Dead animated series a priority.