Support NeoGAF

[Suerte]

Linkage

"Spider-Man 2" director Sam Raimi and original producing partners Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell are reteaming to produce a remake of the cult hit "The Evil Dead" through Ghost House Pictures, the joint venture of Raimi, Tapert and Senator Intl.

Raimi wrote, directed and produced the 1981 "Dead," which tells of five twentysomething friends holed up in a remote cabin who discover a Book of the Dead. When an archaeologist's taped translation of the text and its incantations is replayed, the youths unwittingly summon dormant demons that possess them.

Raimi will not direct the remake, so Ghost House is looking for a helmer to reinvent the franchise before a script is written.

Original pic spawned subsequent installments "Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness."

"Dead" will be fully financed by Senator Intl., which will hold worldwide rights to pic. Exec VP of motion pictures Nathan Kahane will oversee the pic for Senator.

" 'The Evil Dead' is such a special film to Sam, Rob, Bruce and horror fans that we are going to take great care in renewing this franchise," said Joe Drake, Senator Intl. prexy. "By keeping its original formula intact and given audiences' appetite for horror, we expect that we'll have a real hit on our hands."

Pic follows Ghost House's first horror release, "The Grudge," which has grossed more than $100 million worldwide to date.

Senator and Ghost House are developing a sequel to "Grudge."

Other upcoming pics include "Dibbuk Box" from the Pang brothers; "Scarecrow"; "30 Days of Night," in partnership with Columbia; and "Boogeyman," to be released by Screen Gems in February."

 

[Trevelyon]

Um, sounds like this will be a totally reworked, 'nu age' Evil Dead, with Raimi, Tapert & BC all in producing roles only. The new cast should be interesting & the director too, but... I hope, above everything else that they cast, without any hesitation, Nicholas Brendon as Ash, he would make an absolutely perfect successor.

 

[sefskillz]

Wow. This is an incredibly lame idea.

 

[Zilch]

Can't wait to hear the nu-metal soundtrack.

 

[xsarien]

Wow. This is an incredibly lame idea.

But not the first. Hitchcock remade one of his own movies, "The Man Who Knew Too Much." At the time, he said that "the first version was the work of a 'talented amateur,' while the remake was the work of a 'professional.'" (Or something to that effect.)

So, you know, be glad that it's Raimi remaking Raimi and not some cinematic equivalent of rape, like Gus van Sant remaking Hitchcock.


/TCM junkie

 

[Xenon]

I think I would rather see a Hercules or Xena movie.

WTF there are tons of great stories out there. Go find them. I love Raimi but he's being a lazy ass.

 

[sefskillz]

So, you know, be glad that it's Raimi remaking Raimi and not some cinematic equivalent of rape, like Gus van Sant remaking Hitchcock.

Except Raimi is only taking on the producer role. It's as much of a money making scheme as every other remake, which makes it as bad imo. At least Van Sant's Psycho remake had Christopher Doyle on cinematography!

 

[Ecrofirt]

" 'The Evil Dead' is such a special film to Sam, Rob, Bruce and horror fans that we are going to take great care in renewing this franchise," said Joe Drake, Senator Intl. prexy.

How about you just keep your fucking hands off?

 

[BigGreenMat]

But not the first. Hitchcock remade one of his own movies, "The Man Who Knew Too Much." At the time, he said that "the first version was the work of a 'talented amateur,' while the remake was the work of a 'professional.'" (Or something to that effect.)

So, you know, be glad that it's Raimi remaking Raimi and not some cinematic equivalent of rape, like Gus van Sant remaking Hitchcock.


/TCM junkie

Hey don't hate on Gus van Sant. The guy is damn fine filmmaker. It wasn't that his Psycho was so bad... as it was basically a reshoot using the same camera angles and dialogue, just in color and with different actors. It is funny how any homage to a film with lifted elements and scenes is seen as masterful, but any remaking, remastering, or reimagining of a film is always such a god damn travesty.

 

[swoon]

Hey don't hate on Gus van Sant. The guy is damn fine filmmaker. It wasn't that his Psycho was so bad... as it was basically a reshoot using the same camera angles and dialogue, just in color and with different actors. It is funny how any homage to a film with lifted elements and scenes is seen as masterful, but any remaking, remastering, or reimagining of a film is always such a god damn travesty.

this should be pointed out as silly.

but also evil dead was already readmade and better as evil dead II and yea, if raimi isn't directing is really pointless.

 

[xsarien]

Hey don't hate on Gus van Sant. The guy is damn fine filmmaker. It wasn't that his Psycho was so bad... as it was basically a reshoot using the same camera angles and dialogue, just in color and with different actors.

So tell me what the point of the remake was. At least Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow took a novel approach to it all, with a fairly decent amount of success.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

That's... not so good as Evil Dead 4 would be. When I watched The Evil Dead a couple months back, my review was "Cheap cheap cheap me-too gorror flick. Wouldn't be notable but for its sequels."

So I guess remaking it into a really decent movie wouldn't be bad by itself... but as has already been pointed out, that's essentially what Evil Dead II did.

Other upcoming pics include "Dibbuk Box" from the Pang brothers

OK, that could be interesting. Is this based on the box that's supposedly been giving people awful luck for decades?

 

[Willco]

I guess this explains why he wouldn't do the Freddy vs Jason vs Ash crossover. I'm pretty conflicted about a remake, but if Raimi is onboard, then I'll support it.

 

[VistraNorrez]

Hopefully this pulls a Dawn of the Dead (well hopefully this remake is good), and it renews interest in the franchise allowing Raimi to make a fourth Evil Dead.

Of course, if they allow a remake, and Raimi approves, why doesn't he just go straight to a new installment?

 

[Willco]

If they remake Evil Dead with a new cast and everything, the old franchise is dead. That's it. Would I surprised to see Bruce Campbell make a cameo? Nope, but I think this marks the end of an era, people.

Bruce Campbell is Ash, in my opinion. I don't know who they can ever get to replace him.

 

[border]

Evil Dead fans OWNED.

I love how Raimi has been stringing them along for at least a decade, with promises of a sequel and all that good stuff.....then vomits up this nonsense. Evil Dead already had a remake, it was called Evil Dead 2. The only thing really driving the franchise is Bruce Campbell, so remove him and there's very little to be excited about.

How are they going to handle a "true" sequel when the majority of audiences will only be familiar with the new set of actors?

I always kind of thought Raimi was tired of dealing with Evil Dead stuff and didn't really want to mess around with the franchise anymore.....so now he tries compromise by handing it off to another group of people. It keeps him free, but gives ED fans something to chew on (not much, by the look of it).

 

[DJ Demon J]

Um, sounds like this will be a totally reworked, 'nu age' Evil Dead, with Raimi, Tapert & BC all in producing roles only. The new cast should be interesting & the director too, but... I hope, above everything else that they cast, without any hesitation, Nicholas Brendon as Ash, he would make an absolutely perfect successor.

IAWTP

 

[DJ Demon J]

Bruce Campbell is Ash, in my opinion. I don't know who they can ever get to replace him.

I think Nicholas Brendon's got the look, the size, and the comedic timing to pull it off. He obviously won't be as good as Bruce, but it's a remake, so...

I don't see a problem with this. If anything, it will expose more people to the greatness of the original trilogy and perhaps pave the way for Evil Dead 4 starring BC.

 

[Baron Aloha]

Raimi Remaking 'EVIL DEAD'

Again?

 

[Kabuki Waq]

I think Nicholas Brendon's got the look, the size, and the comedic timing to pull it off. He obviously won't be as good as Bruce, but it's a remake, so...

I don't see a problem with this. If anything, it will expose more people to the greatness of the original trilogy and perhaps pave the way for Evil Dead 4 starring BC.

Nicholas Brendan would be awful he does not have the badass thing foing for him at all.

If this gets remade and is succesful at the box office we can just forget about Evil dead 4 and look forward to Evil Dead EXTREMEZ franchise.

After years of fans Pleading for Evil Dead 4 this is what we get? There can be no Evil dead with out Bruce Campbell as ash. He really did carry those movies. Anybody who has seen bubba ho tep knows what a great actor he is.

Yes i am pissed, it sort of seems like Raimi is selling out.

 

[Kenobi]

At first, I was excited about the Freddy Vs. Jason Vs. Ash idea simply because, in my opinion, Bruce Campbell needs more exposure. He's a great actor that is very underated. When I heard about this re-make I was like "Well okay, at least Bruce is in it." and now I find out that it might be with an entire new cast. Well...I guess I can always look forward to Bubba Ho-tep 2....the first one was great, by the way.

 

[Ecrofirt]

Anyone know Raimi's address? I'm going to write him a very strongly worded letter.

Bastard.

 

[Willco]

Jason, Raimi is not going to remake the original and then do a sequel to the old series. It ain't happening.

 

[ManaByte]

But not the first. Hitchcock remade one of his own movies, "The Man Who Knew Too Much." At the time, he said that "the first version was the work of a 'talented amateur,' while the remake was the work of a 'professional.'" (Or something to that effect.)

So, you know, be glad that it's Raimi remaking Raimi and not some cinematic equivalent of rape, like Gus van Sant remaking Hitchcock.


/TCM junkie

Exactly. And Heat was a shot-for-shot remake of an earlier movie Michael Mann did.

 

[Willco]

But Raimi is not directing this remake. So it's quite different from Hitchcock and Mann. That said, he's financing the picture with his own production house and he has Tapert and Campbell involved, in addition to himself, so I'm sure his creative hand will be felt throughout.

I think this means that those rumors of Raimi looking for a young looking version of Ash were not about Ash getting a son for Evil Dead 4, but rather a new Ash for the remake. And as I said earlier, this pretty much explains why Bruce Campbell won't be stickin' it to Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger.

I wouldn't rule out a possible Bruce Campbell cameo in the remake or sequels, however.

 

[evil ways]

Bull fucking shit.

 

[Gantz]

Neither Sam or Bruce has confirmed this news themselves. So take it with a grain of salt. It could be another round of bad journalism. Do you really believe everything you read on the Internet?

 

[RevenantKioku]

*shrug* The first flick sucked pretty hard, so on the one hand it doesn't really matter, but on the other, Evil Dead 2 was pretty much just a remake of Evil Dead as has already been said.

 

[pnjtony]

Did they say Campbell WOULDNT be in it? I don't think they made that distiction at all. I'm sure if he was in it, he'd still be a producer or it.

I wouldn't mind seeing an updated version of it, But I'd rather see Raimi direct. That hospital scene in Spiderman 2 got me all wet for something cool from Raimi again.

 

[Jim Bowie]

First Ju-on, and now Evil Dead.

Quote me on this, Ghost House is my least production company ever.

 

[Suerte]

First Ju-on, and now Evil Dead.

Quote me on this, Ghost House is my least production company ever.

You might want to check your quote first.

 

[Flynn]

Exactly. And Heat was a shot-for-shot remake of an earlier movie Michael Mann did.

Miami Takedown! You're one of the few other people I've encountered that remembers that pilot.

 

[Scalemail Ted]

How disappointing.

 

[Willco]

Variety is a pretty reliable source, so this is probably true. It also explains a lot of things we've been hearing about, but were kind of confusing at the time.

I don't think Bruce Campbell is going to be in a remake if it's still a bunch of college coeds who go up to a cabin. He's like 50.

 

[TheGreenGiant]

remake is the new.. umm. remake. great. He probably got the idea after watching THE GRUDGE (which he helped to bring on). Ticket sales are a guarantee. Oh well.. be fun to watch with good cg / modern prosthetics..

 

[Jim Bowie]

You might want to check your quote first.

:/ Oops.


Ghost House is the worst production company ever. That's what I mean.

 

[MASB]

Maybe I missed the answer in reading this topic, but is this remake in addition to, or in place of, an Evil Dead 4 movie with Bruce Campbell? If it's in place of, then this news sucks. Otherwise, I guess it's okay. I don't really see the need to remake the movie though (except of course for Raimi, etc. to cash in). It's hard to picture an Evil Dead movie without Bruce "Don't Make Me Use My Stuff On You Baby!" Campbell.

Oh, well, if there is no Bruce Campbell Evil Dead 4, that just leaves more time for Bubba Nosferatu.

 

[Azih]

I want Bruce Campbell Evil Dead 4 AND Bubba Nosferatu 2 dammit.

 

[Gantz]

Variety is a pretty reliable source, so this is probably true. It also explains a lot of things we've been hearing about, but were kind of confusing at the time.

I don't think Bruce Campbell is going to be in a remake if it's still a bunch of college coeds who go up to a cabin. He's like 50.

They reported the Freddy Versus Jason Versus Ash too.

 

[ToyMachine228]

Twenty bucks says that they cut the ankle stabbing scene...With the pencil. Oh man, that is one of the most brutal things I have ever seen on film. Ever.

 

[mattx5]

And the tree rape....

But seriously, I don't like this news one bit. Evil Dead is a classic, and even if they were remaking it WITH Bruce Campbell, it wouldn't be as good as the original.

But since it looks like Bruce is a no go, it's going to be a horrible piece of shit, and the Evil Dead name will be stained forever

 

[Willco]

They reported the Freddy Versus Jason Versus Ash too.

And that was legit too. New Line was going forward and negotiations were looking good with Raimi until he pulled out not too long ago. We thought we were getting Evil Dead 4 when he killed the crossover idea, but I don't think anyone speculated this.

And the tree rape....

But seriously, I don't like this news one bit. Evil Dead is a classic, and even if they were remaking it WITH Bruce Campbell, it wouldn't be as good as the original.

But since it looks like Bruce is a no go, it's going to be a horrible piece of shit, and the Evil Dead name will be stained forever

Since Bruce, Raimi and Tapert are all heavily involved in this film and financing it with their own money, I don't think we're going to end up with a horrible film. I think we might be heartbroken to discover a terribly average film moreso than a horrible film.

Again, I suspect Raimi has alterior motives for doing this, as this is something that he's obviously been planning for a bit. The fact that he got all three onboard to help produce this remake, especially Bruce, means that they're planning on doing something to reward the fans.

My speculation?

We'll see Raimi direct an Evil Dead film and Bruce Campbell star in one too. Why not the first one? I think Raimi doesn't want to go back to the damn cabin, a place where he spent two rolls of film on already. And I think Campbell has hesitations about starring as Ash given his age. I think when a sequel rolls around, with real continuity this time, I believe we'll see Raimi pull out the director's chair once more.

... I don't think Raimi will direct an Evil Dead flick unless it's a completely original idea. Maybe he thinks this is akin to remaking cult Japanese horror flicks, and moving forward from there.

Again, I think there's more to the story than first reported.

 

[Suerte]

Anyway, Senator International is doing the new series of "Evil Dead" movies. And nope, Bruce Campbell - besides a cameo I assume - isn't going to playing Ash. Not sure whether that's the financing parties decision or Raimi's. Guessing the suits made the call. One name being thrown about for the part of Ash is a guy named Justin Theroux from "Charlies Angels: Full Throttle" and "Mulholland Drive". Will be interesting to see how the fans take to him and the new start in general".

Darkhorizons.com

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

My speculation?

We'll see Raimi direct an Evil Dead film and Bruce Campbell star in one too. Why not the first one? I think Raimi doesn't want to go back to the damn cabin, a place where he spent two rolls of film on already. And I think Campbell has hesitations about starring as Ash given his age. I think when a sequel rolls around, with real continuity this time, I believe we'll see Raimi pull out the director's chair once more.

Wait... are you contradicting what you said here:

If they remake Evil Dead with a new cast and everything, the old franchise is dead. That's it. Would I surprised to see Bruce Campbell make a cameo? Nope, but I think this marks the end of an era, people.

or speculating that Campbell will star as a non-Ash character in a Raimi-directed New Evil Dead 2?