'Evil Dead' sequel coming to HBO Max with Sam Raimi & Bruce Campbell producing

Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are resurrecting the Evil Dead franchise for a new sequel, Evil Dead Rise, streaming service HBO Max. It’s made by New Line, the studio who released the original film 40 years ago, and it will be written and directed by Lee Cronin, who made 2019’s The Hole in the Ground, while Raimi and Campbell will serve as executive producers.

Unlike the 2013 Evil Dead reboot, this will be a direct sequel to Raimi’s original trilogy (The Evil Dead, Evil Dead II, Army of Darkness) and will move the action from the woods to the city. From Variety: “The twisted tale centers on two estranged sisters, portrayed by Alyssa Sutherland and Lily Sullivan, 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.”

“I’m thrilled to bring ‘Evil Dead’ back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film,” Raimi said in a statement. “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.”

Meanwhile, Campbell, who unfortunately won’t be reprising his role as chainsaw-wielding Ash, said “At its core, ‘Evil Dead’ is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations. 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.”

Raimi and Campbell also worked together on spinoff TV series Ash Vs The Evil Dead which ran three seasons on Starz from 2015-2018.