Well, we knew this day was coming eventually, but that doesn’t make it any easier to hear. Bruce Campbell has officially confirmed that his time as Ash Williams is over, and this time he is making it clear that even an animated return is not in the cards.
In a new interview with ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns while promoting his new dramedy ERNIE & EMMA, Campbell was asked about the future of Ash and the long-discussed animated continuation of ASH VS. EVIL DEAD. His answer was about as definitive as it gets:
“Ash is done.”
Campbell went even further, confirming that he is “not going to do any animated voice work” for the character either. If someone wants to continue Ash’s story without Campbell, the actor joked that they can “get Joe Ash soundalike,” adding that “there are ways to [recreate my voice] now.”
That last part is particularly telling. Campbell has spent years talking about the possibility of an animated ASH VS. EVIL DEAD continuation, and for a while, it seemed like that might be the one way we could get him back as Ash without requiring him to return to the physical demands of the role. Now, even that possibility appears to be off the table.
The animated project has been floating around for years, with Campbell remaining hopeful about it despite the painfully slow development process. When ScreenRant spoke with him in 2024, he admitted that “things like this take forever,” even joking that fans might have to wait another five years before hearing anything substantial.
Campbell’s relationship with the franchise has already changed considerably in recent years. He returned as Ash for three seasons of ASH VS. EVIL DEAD, which continued the story established by Sam Raimi’s original trilogy. The series developed a devoted following but ultimately ended after its third season in 2018. Campbell subsequently announced that he was retiring from playing Ash in live action, although his connection to the franchise continued. We even brought you the news that he wasn’t too pleased with the state of the ongoing franchise as well.
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He appeared in EVIL DEAD RISE in a vocal capacity while also serving as an executive producer, with director Lee Cronin explaining the cameo as a time-displaced version of Ash. Campbell’s involvement with the upcoming EVIL DEAD BURN is more limited, however. He remains an executive producer on Sébastien Vaniček’s film but has stepped away from performing altogether.
There is also a very real reason Campbell’s decision carries more weight now. Earlier this year, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with cancer, describing it as “treatable” but not “curable.” Campbell also indicated that he would be reducing his public appearances and workload to focus more attention on his health.
That makes his decision to finally close the door on Ash understandable, even if it hurts like hell for longtime fans.
Campbell has played Ash Williams for more than four decades. The character began as the terrified survivor of Sam Raimi’s THE EVIL DEAD, evolved into the wisecracking Deadite killing machine of EVIL DEAD II and ARMY OF DARKNESS, and eventually returned as an older, considerably more worn down version of himself in ASH VS. EVIL DEAD.
Ash became inseparable from Campbell’s own identity as an actor. The chainsaw, the boomstick and that unmistakable attitude were never simply props and dialogue. They became part of Campbell’s career in a way very few genre characters ever become attached to their performers.
But the EVIL DEAD franchise isn’t stopping.
Campbell’s retirement from Ash does not mean the Deadites are going anywhere. The series is continuing with EVIL DEAD BURN, while Francis Galluppi’s EVIL DEAD: WRATH is also in development and is expected to serve as the franchise’s first feature length prequel, with a 2028 release planned.
What Campbell has now made clear is that whatever comes next will not involve him stepping back into the role he made famous.
Ash Williams is done.
And Bruce Campbell is finally saying it without leaving a chainsaw sized opening for us to hope otherwise.
Source: ScreenRant