Universe building is all the rage in movies these days, and alongside superheroes and sci-fi, horror is expanding its scope as well. Paranormal Activity has a expansion series, The Marked Ones, headed to theaters in early 2014, and after the Evil Dead franchise was revitalized with a successful 2013 remake, there’s been a rapid expansion of that series’ world – both old and new.
First came news that Sam Raimi might be jumping back into the franchise with an Army of Darkness sequel with star Bruce Campbell returning. Things got wilder when it came to light that not only was Campbell back for that project, but that there would also be a sequel to Fede Alvarez’ Evil Dead reboot. Finally heads nearly exploded when fans learned that the Army of Darkness continuity with Campbell and the rebooted Evil Dead 2013 continuity could eventually culminate in a crossover film.
Today however, brings some expected – but nonetheless appreciated – confirmation that Sam Raimi will indeed be returning to the sandbox he first built. While responding to a fan query on Twitter, Evil Dead remake director Fede Alvarez dropped the following confirmation about the Army of Darkness sequel:
“@thielebenjamin: Hey @fedalvar will you be directing the Army Of Darkness 2 movie?” Sam Raimi will!
— Fede Alvarez (@fedalvar) October 26, 2013
The Evil Dead remake was a great bit of maniac fun (read our review), and Raimi proved with his work on Drag Me to Hell that his signature blend of outlandish comedic horror has not been diluted by work on blockbuster franchises like Spider-Man (or more recently Oz the Great and Powerful). In the growing list of franchises that are broadening the scope of their respective universes, this Evil Dead/Army of Darkness mix is probably one of the most unexpected – and yet, somehow, one of the most exciting, as well.
Remake star Jane Levy certainly earned her character, Mia, a place in the franchise canon – and no Evil Dead fan can call themselves one if they aren’t raving about Bruce Campbell coming back to wield that chainsaw/shotgun combo again. Right now, in the minds of most fans, we’re about to get three potentially great films in a cult-favorite franchise that managed to survive the dreaded remake process – and we get the director and star who made the franchise great, to boot.
Best load up your boom-stick.
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We’ll be keeping you up to date on both Army of Darkness 2 and Evil Dead 2.
