It’s been 45 years since the release of The Evil Dead, and the franchise is still going strong. Evil Dead Burn recently opened in theaters, and a new entry, Evil Dead Wrath, is set for release in 2028. Yet despite those two films and the popular 2023 entry Evil Dead Rise, it appears star Bruce Campbell, who played Ash Williams in the original trilogy and the television continuation Ash vs. Evil Dead, is done with the franchise.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Bruce Campbell provided a disappointing update on his future with the Evil Dead franchise. “Ash is done,” said Campbell, revealing that the plans for the animated spin-off to Ash vs. Evil Dead is no longer moving forward. He also said he will “not [be] going to do any animated voice work” if the character returns. Campbell said that if any of the new creative voices want to bring Ash Williams back for future stories, they could “get Ash soundalikes,” potentially hinting at using AI to replicate his voice, adding, “there are ways to [recreate my voice] now.”
Bruce Campbell’s update is disappointing but not surprising. Despite returning for a vocal cameo as an unrelated character in Evil Dead Rise, he did not physically appear in Evil Dead Burn, thoughhis cameo appeared as a photograph hanging on the wall of the house where the movie is set.In March 2026, Campbell revealed he had been diagnosed with a type of cancer that is “treatable, not curable.”
Although Campbell retired from playing Ash Williams in live action after Ash vs. Evil Dead‘s final episode in 2018, he continued to voice the character. Campbell reprised his role as Ash in video games such as Dead by Daylight in 2019, Evil Dead: The Game in 2022, and both Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II and Call of Duty: Warfare 2.0 in 2023. In 2022, Campbell announced that an animated revival of Ash vs. The Evil Dead was in the works, but by October 2024, it was confirmed that the animated project was not a continuation of Ash vs. Evil Dead. Campbell’s statements about no longer voicing the character truly mark the end of an era for the actor and the Evil Dead series.
In June 2026, after revealing his cancer diagnosis and before the release of Evil Dead Burn, Campbell said the franchise was moving away from Ash Williams, adding that the character was “not part of any big overriding story or scheme.” Campbell, who is credited as an executive producer but not as actively involved in the newer installments, said that since his last appearance as Ash, the franchise has “done three things: We moved away from the cabin, we’ve moved away from Sam Raimi, we’ve moved away from Ash and Bruce Campbell.” He continued by saying:
“Thankfully, Evil Dead Rise made the most of any money we’ve made from any Evil Dead, so far, and it validated the fact that we can get away from those main elements. You’ve got to find a new audience, because the original Evil Dead fans, you get some of them, you’re not going to get all of them, because they like those original elements.”
