The $147M success of Evil Dead Rise last year proved that Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead franchise is alive and well. It did far and away better than 2013’s reimagining, which is surprising given it was a spinoff with little connection to the other movies. Well, Raimi’s no fool, and he’s got another spinoff in the works with a director already attached.
Deadline reports that Sébastien Vaniček will direct and co-write a new Evil Dead, which is being described as as a spinoff, similar to the standalone Evil Dead Rise. No details are available at this point, but it doesn’t need to stray too far from the straight horror model involving possession, deadites, and other supernatural threats. Gone is the horror-comedy tone established by the early movies featuring Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, although his portrayal remains the franchise’s most popular.
Vaniček’s best known for his directorial debut, last year’s spider horror Infested, which debuted in Venice and then won Best Picture and Best Director in its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest. His hiring fits with the pattern established by Raimi, picking rising star filmmaker with an affinity for the horror genre, such as Evil Dead Rise‘s director Lee Cronin, and Fede Alvarez before him.
