Movies
‘Godzilla’ Producers Want What’s Best for 3D Feature
Some inspiring news out of the 3DNext Summit in Culver City this past Monday as The Wrap is reporting that Godzilla 3D producer Brian Rogers stepped up and made the following statement: “ ‘Clash of the Titans’ is important here…because it made the industry realize that you cannot do substandard 3D and charge full pricing.” He also noted how well Clash did at the box office, but it’s nice to know that some people are more focused on providing a quality product. A+! Being produced by Legendary Pictures, the big green monster is still quite a ways a way from arriving in theaters as a writer hasn’t even been hired. By the time this gets off the ground 3-D will either be dead or (hopefully) completely awesome.
The Evil Dead franchise is alive and well these days, with brand new installment Evil Dead Burn arriving in theaters this summer and Evil Dead Wrath already set for release in 2028.
But one person you shouldn’t expect to see in either movie is Bruce Campbell, who made it clear back when “Ash vs. Evil Dead” was cancelled that his days of playing Evil Dead hero Ash Williams are very much over. Sure, he made a very small vocal cameo in Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, but Campbell is still sticking to his vow of being retired from playing Ash.
In a new chat with Detroit Free Press, Bruce Campbell again makes it clear that he’s moved on from Ash Williams and the Evil Dead franchise has moved on from Bruce Campbell.
Campbell explains, “We’ve 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.”
“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,” Campbell continues. “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.”
“They’re Hollywood, they’re studio movies now,” Campbell says of the franchise today. “They’re not indie movies anymore. And that’s where I found that my use has just phased out.”
Bruce Campbell’s hands-on involvement with the Evil Dead movies has come to an end both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. Campbell told Forbes this year, “We had a meeting a couple of years ago and the French director of Evil Dead Burn was there to experience his first script development meeting. He turned in a 10-page treatment to say, “Here’s my rough idea. Here’s what I’m thinking, A to Z’ and I think he got 20 pages of notes back.”
“That’s when I said to myself, ‘You guys got this. I think you guys got this.’ I got tired of arguing points with someone who’s 26 years old about story and structure, and all that sort of stuff, and what matters and what doesn’t,” Campbell explained. “So, I just found out it’s way better to just step back. I’m partners with the guys. Nothing else has changed. I just told them, ‘Guys. I’m actually doing my own thing now, and it takes a lot of time and attention. If I can get fewer emails for approvals not clogging my timeline, that’s good for me at this point.'”
Up next from Bruce Campbell? He directed and stars in the indie comedy Ernie & Emma, which follows a pear salesman who embarks on a journey following the death of his wife.
After 25 years as an executive secretary, Emma leaves behind a detailed list of instructions regarding her ashes, which leads Ernie on a series of challenging and reflective escapades.
Campbell is hitting the road with Ernie & Emma. Follow him on Twitter for updates.