WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Evil Dead Rise!While Evil Dead Rise follows a new group of characters, does Bruce Campbell’s franchise lead Ash Williams appear in the movie? Ash Williams has become one of the most iconic horror characters of all time after surviving numerous battles with the Evil Dead franchise’s demonic Deadites. However, much like Evil Dead (2013), Bruce Campbell’s Ash Williams isn’t the star of the 2023 Lee Cronin-directed standalone sequel. Rather, Evil Dead Rise follows a brand-new family who find themselves in a gory, horrific battle after discovering the Book of the Dead in their Los Angeles apartment building.
With Ash having appeared in the first four Evil Dead movies (1981’s The Evil Dead, 1987’s Evil Dead II, 1992’s Army of Darkness, and 2013’s Evil Dead) as well as the Starz TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, the franchise is just as synonymous with Bruce Campbell as it is with Sam Raimi. While Ash Williams wasn’t directly involved in the gory story of Evil Dead (2013), he appeared in a quick post-credits scene to utter his iconic catchphrase “Groovy.” Considering how important he is to the franchise’s greater lore, audiences may be wondering whether Bruce Campbell reprises his role as Ash Williams again in Evil Dead Rise.
Bruce Campbell Is In Evil Dead Rise, But Is He Playing Ash Williams?
Evil Dead Rise introduces two major franchise firsts: No Ash Williams, and no cabin in the woods setting. While Bruce Campbell does have a hidden role in Evil Dead Rise, he doesn’t appear on screen, and he may or may not actually be playing Ash Williams. Campbell cameos as the voice of an unnamed priest on a record found by Dan in Evil Dead Rise, so audiences won’t hear the actor repeat Ash’s “Groovy” line. However, director Lee Cronin ambiguously noted to NME that Bruce Campbell’s unseen Evil Dead Rise character could still be Ash Williams:
“Bruce came over to Ireland when we were working on the sound and I asked him if he would do this teeny, tiny, little cameo for me. And the fun part is, that’s not necessarily Bruce Campbell playing someone else – that could very well be Ash Williams”
Although Campbell previously made comments about retiring Ash Williams, Cronin’s tease about the potential real identity of the “priest” suggests that the classic character could have some more groovy battles with Deadites in the future. Even if Campbell really is playing Ash Williams in Evil Dead Rise, a short voice recording with no inclusion of his iconic catchphrases or charisma isn’t enough to satisfy long-time Evil Dead fans yearning for a true Ash return. Still, Evil Dead Rise delivers on extra Bruce Campbell content, as Cronin told Digital Spy that a munching noise needed for the eye scene was accomplished by recording the sound of Campbell “eating an apple furiously.”
How Ash Williams Can Return In Evil Dead 6
Evil Dead 6 hasn’t officially been announced by Warner Bros. Discovery, but the critical success of Cronin’s sequel suggests a sixth movie is forthcoming. Although Ash Williams isn’t explicitly connected to Evil Dead Rise’s story, there are still ways for Bruce Campbell to physically reprise his role for a sequel. Considering there were talks of an Ash crossover with Mia from Evil Dead (2013), it’s possible that Ash, Mia, and Beth could unite to battle the Deadites and attempt to destroy the Book of the Dead for good in Evil Dead 6.
Evil Dead Rise’s ending sets up much more to explore in future installments about the franchise’s lore, and Ash would be the perfect legacy character for Beth to team up with while putting all the pieces together. While Beth could actively seek out Ash to help understand more about the Book of the Dead and past Deadite attacks, the fact that the Deadite problem is spreading means that Ash could be the one who finds her instead. There’s no true end to the Evil Dead franchise without Ash Williams, so hopes are high for Bruce Campbell to return in Evil Dead 6.
Sources: NME, Digital Spy
