Evil Dead Rise is officially replacing the iconic Ashley "Ash" Joanna Williams with a female lead. Bruce Campbell has portrayed the character for approximately forty years and retired him back in 2018 for good. While many fans were hesitant to the Evil Dead franchise continuing with the boomstick wielding Deadite defeater, Fede Álvarez's 2013 soft reboot proved that he could be replaced under the right circumstances. Now is as good a time as ever for Evil Dead Rise to replace Ash Williams with a female lead in the franchise; here's why.
Sam Raimi's first installment, The Evil Dead, was filmed on a shoestring budget and released in 1981. It received mostly positive reviews from fans and critics for its impressive use of practical effects and camerawork. In 1987, Evil Dead II, also known as Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn, released and took the franchise in an all new direction with its comedic elements and B-movie charm. Ash Williams's story line officially ended in 1992's Army Of Darkness, but was revived following the success of Álvarez's 2013 soft reboot. Bruce Campbell returned as the character once more for Ash vs Evil Dead which lasted a total of 3 seasons that concluded in 2018.
The franchise is known for revolutionizing the cabin in the woods sub-genre of horror movies, so when a new rise in its popularity occurred during the 2010s, the reboot came at the perfect moment. Álvarez's Evil Dead took on a much more horrific and serious tone with its unique rendition of the classic story. Jane Levy's Mia Allen was the first female lead in the franchise that could be considered a replacement for Ash Williams. The ending of Evil Dead even alluded to Mia getting her own sequel, but it never happened. Instead, Evil Dead Rise will feature a presumably brand new female lead.
Ash Williams has stood the test of time in the realm of horror, but his character has grown increasingly more comedic and satirical the longer he is involved in the franchise. While many were disappointed to hear that Bruce Campbell chose to retire the character, it was the best choice knowing how horror icons can become so drawn out that they become predictable or, worse, boring. He will always be one of the greatest characters in the horror genre, but Fede Álvarez's Evil Dead proved that a female lead would be a viable way to move past Ash Williams. While the 2013 movie undoubtedly played a role in influencing this change, the strong female characters in Ash vs Evil Dead further suggested that it's due time for a woman to take on the Deadites and the Necronomicon.
Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin announced that the new franchise lead will be a woman. This will also mark the first time that the Necronomicon's creatures will take on a city landscape, and the second time a woman will lead the charge against them. While Ash was surrounded by powerful women in Ash vs Evil Dead, they were not the primary heroes, though they could have been, had Ash stepped aside. There were countless instances throughout the series that proved how a woman may be more adept at fighting the Deadites; Álvarez's movie showcased that they were more than capable as well. In an all-out bloodbath during Evil Dead, Mia singlehandedly destroys the Taker of Souls — she slices it in half with a chainsaw. A new female lead in the franchise could bring in different levels of horror and comedy than Bruce Campbell's Ash is known for, especially considering the new landscape and other changes that will have to be made to the Necronomicon, the Deadites, and the demons that are bound to it for a more modern update.
Álvarez's successful creation of a female incarnation of Ash Williams in the 2013 movie proved that it was more than time for a woman to take over as the face of the Evil Dead franchise. As Ash vs Evil Dead continued, the show further solidified that a woman must take over Ash's role, especially with the progression of female leads in the horror genre — audiences are ready for this type of pivot in Evil Dead Rise.