SDCC 2015 – Ash vs Evil Dead

July 13th, 2015 | POSTED BY Sarah Ksiazek

San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) was the perfect place to unleash the first trailer for Ash vs Evil Dead. Leading up to the trailer release, the television network Starz featured the television show in their booth on the convention floor of SDCC. Complete with Ash’s trailer, the booth allowed SDCC fans the chance to experience a bit of the Evil Dead world and what to expect with the coming television series. I tried three out of the four days I was there to get into the booth, but the line was always capped when I went by.

The panel for Ash vs Evil Dead occurred on Friday in Room 6A. Long lines kept me away from the panel itself where Lucy Lawless, Bruce Campbell, and Sam Raimi were present to discuss the series and reveal the first full trailer. The show will be ten half-hour episodes with the first premiering October 31, 2015 at 10 PM. The press release does say that it is a first season, so this is not a one-off series. There is a possibility for the story to continue. The series is still being filmed in New Zealand (side note: Evil Dead (2013) was also filmed there.)

Executive producers on the show include Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Ron Tapert (Evil Dead, Spartacus, Xena: Warrior Princess), and Craig DiGregorio (Chuck, Workaholics), with DiGregorio serving as the showrunner. Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi (Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), and Tom Spezialy (Chuck, Reaper) wrote the first episode with Sam Raimi directing it.

Synopsis: “Campbell reprises his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead. When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal.  Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, Burn Notice) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (Salem, Spartacus) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (Touch, Meet the Fockers) as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones (Sleepy Hollow) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.”

The trailer mixes gore with humor and, of course, nods to the original films. From all fan accounts at the panel, the trailer went over really well with the crowd.

A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, Army of Darkness, Ash vs Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell, Burn Notice, Chuck, Craig DiGregorio, Dana DeLorenzo, Drag Me To Hell, Ivan Raimi, Jill Marie Jones, Lucy Lawless, Meet the Fockers, Ray Santiago, Reaper, Rob Tapert, Salem, Sam Raimi, Sleepy Hollow, Spartacus, Starz, Tom Spezialy, Touch, Workaholic, Xena: Warrior Princess