'Evil Dead Rise' Headed To HBO Max, Will Take The Franchise Out Of The Woods And Into The City

We've known a new Evil Dead movie was on the way for a few months now, but we now have some concrete details about just what the film is, and where it's headed. The latest entry in the series is titled Evil Dead Rise, and The Hole in the Ground filmmaker Lee Cronin is on board to write and direct. Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell are also on hand as executive producers. And this Evil Dead is offering up a twist – rather than take us into the woods, the primary setting of (almost) all the previous films, this Evil Dead Rise is headed into the city. It's also headed to HBO Max.

Last year, rumors surfaced that the new Evil Dead movie was going to be called Evil Dead Rise, and that it was headed to a city setting. In fact, rumor had it that the film would take place in a skyscraper (thus the Rise in the title, which has a double meaning – rise as in rising from the dead, and rise as in rising into the sky via a skyscraper). Now, we have some confirmation.

The film is indeed called Evil Dead Rise, and it will indeed head into a city setting as opposed to some secluded woodland, which is usually where these movies take place. Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Bruce Campbell, the team behind the original franchise, are involved in the new film. Campbell won't be reprising his iconic role of Ash, but he'll be executive producing the movie along with Raimi, while Tapert will produce. Rather than head to theaters, Evil Dead Rise is going right to HBO Max in the U.S., and that's the sort of thing we're going to have to start getting used to.

Lee Cronin, who directed the creepy film The Hole in the Ground, is on board to write and direct the pic. As for the story, Evil Dead Rise "tells a twisted tale of two estranged sisters, played by Alyssa Sutherland (TV's The Mist and Vikings) and Lily Sullivan (Picnic at Hanging Rock, Jungle), whose reunion is cut short by the rise of flesh-possessing demons, thrusting them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable."

"I'm thrilled to bring Evil Dead back to its original home at New Line 40 years after the release of the first film," said Sam Rraimi. "The company's history as pioneers of horror speaks for itself. I'm equally excited to be working with Lee Cronin, whose gifts as a storyteller make him the ideal filmmaker to continue the enduring legacy of the franchise."

"At its core, Evil Dead is about ordinary people overcoming extraordinarily terrifying situations," added Bruce Campbell. "I can't wait for Alyssa and Lily to fill the blood-soaked shoes of those who have come before them and carry on that tradition."

And director Cronin said: "The Evil Dead movies filled my brain with terror and awe when I first saw them at nine years old. I am excited and humbled to be resurrecting the most iconic of evil forces for both the fans and a whole new generation."

The Evil Dead franchise first launched in 1981, with Sam Raimi's ultra-low-budget but highly effective film. It was followed by two sequels – Evil Dead II, and Army of Darkness. A reboot directed by Fede Álvarez arrived in 2013. And in 2015, the story continued with the TV series Ash vs. Evil Dead, which ran for three seasons.