Evil Dead fans may want to keep an eye out for Bruce Campbell in the new film Evil Dead Rise, as director Fede Alvarez says that the franchise star is in fact in the movie after all. After wrapping up work on the Starz series Ash vs. Evil Dead, Campbell announced his retirement from playing the Ash Williams character in any more live-action projects. He continues to voice Ash in video games and has teased an animated series continuation, but he doesn't return as the Deadite slayer in the new film, instead merely serving as a producer.
But this isn't to say Campbell and Ash don't have some kind of presence in the film. In a new interview with Empire, director Lee Cronin confirmed that he snuck the groovy one into the final cut of the movie. He says that while it was necessary for the franchise to focus on new protagonists, Cronin didn't want to leave Ash out entirely, leading to the unnamed Easter egg. While not providing any additional hints, the director says he's going to pay a cool 50 bucks to the first person who lets him know that they've found this secret reference.
"It felt like in order to move the franchise somewhere new and to unlock the potential of the universe to tell more stories, it needed to break free [of Ash],” Cronin says. “But Bruce is hidden in the movie somewhere. Bruce has a small presence in the movie. The first person to figure it out and send me a tweet, I’ll give them 50 bucks.”
Have We Seen the Last of Live-Action Ash?
While Campbell has been pretty adamant about not going back on his retirement as the live-action Ash, it's not impossible for him to potentially reprise the role. He recently admitted (via Fangoria) that he'd consider returning as Ash on screen one more time, but only if it's for Sam Raimi. Campbell feels that Ash shines at his brightest when Raimi is at the helm, and if there's anything that would make him bring back the character, it would be that.
"If Sam says, ‘I, Sam Raimi, will direct another Evil Dead movie,’ then I, Bruce Campbell, will consider being in it. I don’t want to be Ash, tended to by other people," Campbell said. "I just want the right circumstances. Because Sam, even though he’s done studio movies, he’s still a good director! So, I want Sam! I’ll do it for Sam.”
Evil Dead Rise hits theaters on April 21, 2023. You can watch the official trailer for the latest installment of the Evil Dead movie series below.