The legendary Bruce Campbell is hoping to go on tour with his movie Ernie & Emma this fall and I’m hoping he’ll be considered for the lead role in the film adaptation of Grady Hendrix’s novella BadAsstronauts – but before we get to either of those things, Campbell has revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer and will be undergoing treatment.
Career
Campbell has more than forty years of credits to his name, including roles in Burn Notice, Bubba Ho-Tep, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy (and almost every other movie Raimi has made), Maniac Cop, Escape from L.A., The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena: Warrior Princess, My Name Is Bruce, Man with the Screaming Brain, The X-Files, and a whole lot more.
He’s best known for his work in the Evil Dead franchise. Not only does he hold the rights to that property with Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert, but he also starred in the original film trilogy and a three-season TV series as the chainsaw-wielding hero Ash Williams.
Announcement
Campbell took to social media to inform fans of his cancer diagnosis, writing: “Hi, folks. These days, when someone is having a health issue, it’s referred to as an “opportunity,” so let’s go with that – I’m having one of those. It’s also called a type of cancer that’s “treatable” not “curable.” I apologize if that’s a shock – it was to me too.
The good news is, I’m not gonna go into any more detail. I’m posting this, because professionally, a few things will have to change – appearances and cons and work in general need to take back seat to treatment.
My plan is to get as well as I possibly can over the summer so that I can tour with my new movie Ernie & Emma this fall.
There are several cons this year summer that I have to cancel. Big regrets on my part. Treatment needs and professional obligations don’t always go hand-in-hand.
That’s about it. I’m not trying to enlist sympathy – or advice – I just want to get ahead of this information in case false information gets out (which it will).
Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while.
As always, you’re the greatest fans in the world and I hope to see you soon!
Much love,
Bruce Campbell.“
Ernie & Emma
Written and directed by Campbell, Ernie & Emma has the following synopsis: Widowed pear salesman Ernie Tyler travels to scatter his wife’s ashes in places she specified, each location stirring memories that help him process their marriage, his work life, and his future. Campbell also stars in the movie as Ernie.
Campbell said the project was born out of “a desire to see if I could make a ‘one character’ movie. Eventually, with influences of my dad as a Detroit ad guy and the place where I currently live, Ernie was born.” He added that Ernie and Emma “were married for a long time, so there was lots of history, baggage and unresolved issues. The journey comes with many revelations, good and bad.” The film deals with death “directly. Emma is a lead character of the movie. It was nice to do an ‘age appropriate’ role.“
Just a few days ago, Campbell sat down for an interview with The Oregonian and said, “I’m about ready to start telling adult stories. I’m not really interested in teeny bop anymore. It just doesn’t appeal to me. I can’t relate to it. I think about dying. I think about death. I never really did before.” He’s thinking about it, but he has no intention of experiencing it himself any time soon.
It is a shock to hear that our hero Bruce Campbell has cancer, but it’s good to know that it’s treatable and there’s hope that he’ll be feeling well enough to go on tour with Ernie & Emma later this year. We’re all rooting for him, and hope he’ll be able to kick the ass of this bastard disease just like Ash kicked the asses of so many Deadites over the years. Fuck cancer!
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