It's Official: Evil Dead Remake in the Works

[dalmatianjaws]

After years of rumors, it's officially official: there's going to be an Evil Dead remake.

Produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, and Bruce Campbell (who all produced the original ... and by produce I mean ran around with a camera in the woods and almost died), the remake will be directed by Fede Alvarez, who directed this movie -



 - which boasts some very impressive low-budget special effects, but not much else. What made the original Evil Dead awesome was not the visual effects (although they were wonderful and aged in the perfect sort of way) but the batshit insane camera work, brash violence and comedic acting, and the fact that almost every single still image from the movie could be framed and put on a wall, albeit the wall in a house belonging to this guy:


Oh shit I think this is from Evil Dead 2

Fede Alvarez will not only direct the remake but also wrote the script, which is being re-written by Diablo "I was a stripper so the fact I'm functionally literate won me an Oscar" "Fun Clever Dialog" Cody.

No word yet on when it will be shot or release, but I can guarantee this sucker fan will buy a ticket, though I'd much rather see an Evil Dead 4 where old Ash survives post-apocalyptic London (that's right geeks, the director's cut ending of Army of Darkness is canon in my book).


Official Press Release Follows:
GHOST HOUSE PICTURES WILL RESURRECT THE DEAD

Original Producing Team – Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert & Bruce Campbell – Remaking Horror Classic ‘The Evil Dead’

To be Written and Directed by Fede Alvarez

Los Angeles (July 13, 2011) –  Sam Raimi and original producing partners Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell (who also starred in the original franchise) are gearing up to remake their cult sensation THE EVIL DEAD through their long standing Ghost House Pictures partnership.  Raimi and Tapert were such instant fans of Fede Alvarez’s short film “Panic Attack” that they set up a blind deal with the filmmaker and through that process have attached Fede Alvarez to write and direct the film. Alvarez wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues. Academy Award® winning screenwriter Diablo Cody is currently doing revisions on the draft. Ghost House is committed to renewing the franchise and has the film on the fast track. 

Raimi, Tapert and Campbell will serve as producers.  Ghost House Pictures partners Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane will executive produce. Nicole Brown and J.R. Young will oversee the project for Ghost House. Lionsgate will handle international sales on the film.

The three producing partners commented, "We are committed to making this movie and are inspired by the enduring popularity and enthusiasm for the ‘Evil Dead’ series. We can't wait to scare a new generation of moviegoers using filmmaking techniques that were not available to us thirty years ago as well as Fede bringing a fresh eye to the film’s original elements."

Raimi wrote, directed and, along with Tapert and Campbell, produced the original horror classic THE EVIL DEAD that tells the story of five twenty-something friends who become holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a Book Of The Dead.  An archaeologist's tape recording reveals that the ancient text was discovered among the Khandarian ruins of a Sumerian civilization.  Playing the taped incantations, the youths unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival.  THE EVIL DEAD spawned a franchise with the equally successful installments EVIL DEAD II and ARMY OF DARKNESS.

Fede Alvarez is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content and attorney Karl Austen.  Diablo Cody is represented by Sarah Self at WME, Mason Novick, and attorney Jeff Frankel of McKuin Frankel Whitehead LLP.