Bruce Campbell has officially closed the door on Ash Williams. The Evil Dead icon, who retired from playing the character in live action years ago, has now confirmed that he won’t even return to provide Ash’s voice in animation.
That is a major change from Campbell’s previous position on the character. For years, Campbell made it clear that while he no longer wanted to put his body through the action sequences required to play Ash in live action, he was still happy to provide the character’s voice. He even saw animation as an ideal way to continue Ash’s story without requiring him to perform the physical stunts. Now, that option is gone, too.
During an exclusive interview with ScreenRant about his new dramedy Ernie & Emma, Campbell was asked about his future with the Evil Dead franchise. His answer was definitive: “Ash is done.”
Campbell went on to confirm that he is “not going to do any animated voice work” for Ash. If the Evil Dead team wants to bring the character back, Campbell said they can find a “Joe Ash soundalike,” adding that there are now ways to recreate his voice. For fans who have been following the possibility of an animated Evil Dead project, that’s a disappointing turn of events.
Bruce Campbell Once Wanted to Voice Ash in an Animated Evil Dead Series
Campbell’s retirement from live-action Ash isn’t new. After portraying the character for roughly four decades across Sam Raimi’s original Evil Dead trilogy and three seasons of Ash vs Evil Dead, Campbell explained that he no longer felt physically capable of handling the action sequences required by the role. But he repeatedly emphasized that voice work was different.
In 2021, Campbell said he would be happy to provide Ash’s voice if an animated Evil Dead series ever happened. At the time, that seemed like the perfect solution: Campbell could continue playing the character without having to perform the demanding physical work that had become a problem. That possibility seemed to become more real over the following years. In 2023, Campbell confirmed that an animated Evil Dead series was being “actively pursued.” He explained that Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan were working on shaping the world for the project and even joked about the prospect of returning as Ash: “My voice hasn’t aged as much as I have.”
Campbell had also previously suggested that an animated series could continue the story of Ash vs Evil Dead, picking up from the show’s futuristic cliffhanger.
In 2024, Campbell confirmed that the animated project was still in development, although he warned that these kinds of productions move very slowly. That history makes his latest statement more consequential. The animated Evil Dead series wasn’t merely something fans imagined Campbell might participate in. Campbell himself had spent years saying he was willing to return as Ash through voice work. Now he says he won’t.
Why Bruce Campbell Changed His Mind About Ash
Campbell’s latest comments come as he continues to step back from the Evil Dead franchise. He remained involved behind the scenes on Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise, serving as an executive producer and providing a vocal cameo. He is also an executive producer on Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn, although he stepped away from the creative process.
Meanwhile, the franchise is increasingly moving beyond Ash Williams. Francis Galluppi’s Evil Dead Wrath will take us back to a time before Ash ever crossed paths with the Deadites, while Burn continues the series’ move toward stories centered on new characters.
Campbell’s involvement has decreased, but for years, the possibility of an animated Ash provided one exception. Fans could reasonably believe that Campbell’s retirement from live action didn’t necessarily mean the end of Ash Williams. His latest comments remove that distinction.
Ash Williams Can Still Return, But Not With Bruce Campbell
Campbell’s retirement doesn’t necessarily mean Ash Williams can never appear again. In fact, Campbell himself acknowledged that the character could be recast, specifically pointing to modern technology that could potentially recreate the sound of his voice. That could theoretically allow Ash to appear in animation, video games, or another form of Evil Dead media without Campbell performing the role.
But it would be a fundamentally different Ash. Ash’s sarcastic delivery, increasingly ridiculous bravado, and distinctive one-liners became inseparable from Campbell’s portrayal over the decades. He now appears to be comfortable letting someone else carry that torch.
After years of leaving the door open for an animated return, Bruce Campbell has finally closed it. Ash Williams isn’t necessarily dead, but Bruce Campbell’s version of Ash appears to be finished.
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