Bruce Campbell has said he is finished playing Ash in the Evil Dead franchise, citing his physical ability and his changing interests.
READ MORE: ‘Evil Dead Burn’ review: hotly anticipated horror sequel never quite catches fire
The 68-year-old originally played the character in Sam Raimi’s 1981 cult horror film The Evil Dead and returned for Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness. His final live-action performance as Ash then came in the three-season TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which ran from 2015 to 2018.
Writing on X last week (August 20), Campbell clarified that he has permanently stepped away from the character. “Apologies if this news seems new,” he said. “It’s hard to communicate everything with everyone. I tapped out after [Ash vs. Evil Dead].”
“Mostly, the reasons were ability and interest, in equal measure. I didn’t want Ash to be compromised by declining skills and as a borderline Geezer, my interests have diverged. I’ll always love Evil Dead to death – literally.”
Apologies if this news seems new. It’s hard to communicate everything with everyone. I tapped out after AVED. Mostly, the reasons were ability and interest, in equal measure. I didn’t want Ash to be compromised by declining skills and as a borderline Geezer, my interests have… https://t.co/Bfcqh2v8xu pic.twitter.com/SBDC2Awcu8
— Bruce Campbell (@GroovyBruce) August 20, 2026
Campbell remains involved with the franchise behind the scenes, serving as an executive producer on both 2023’s Evil Dead Rise and this year’s Evil Dead Burn. He will perform the same role on the forthcoming Evil Dead Wrath.
In an interview in June, he explained: “[Evil Dead has] done three things: we moved away from the cabin, we’ve moved away from Sam Raimi, we’ve moved away from Ash and Bruce Campbell.”
He also pointed to the financial success of Evil Dead Rise, which earned more than $147million (£109million) worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the franchise.
In March, Campbell revealed that he had been diagnosed with an unspecified form of cancer, which he described as “treatable” but not “curable”. He said treatment would take priority over work, writing: “Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while”.
Evil Dead Burn starred Souheila Yacoub as a grieving widow who becomes trapped with her late husband’s family as Deadite possession spreads through their secluded home.
In a three-star review, NME wrote: “Evil Dead Burn isn’t a bad entry in the series by any stretch, but fundamentally it just isn’t scary enough. And aside from a small smattering of impalings and sliced fingers, it isn’t particularly brutal either. Where Rise went full-on gory with cheese graters and so forth, Burn regrettably pulls its punches.”
Evil Dead Wrath will be written and directed by Francis Galluppi and will be set in 1972. It is scheduled to be released on April 7, 2028.
The post Bruce Campbell quits ‘Evil Dead’ franchise: “As a borderline Geezer, my interests have diverged” appeared first on NME.
