Bruce Campbell has been playing Ash Williams on and off again since 1981 and after 37 years in the role, he has finally decided to hang up the old chainsaw hand and boomstick. It’s a sad day for any horror fan, but it’s a day that many had to have anticipated would be coming, eventually. Bruce Campbell is turning 60 this year, so the fact that he continued to play such an action-heavy role this long is nothing short of amazing. Bruce Campbell revealed this news in a tweet. The tweet was made in response to a Bloody Disgusting who had urged fans to contact Netflix to pick up the recently canceled “Ash Vs Evil Dead.”

A little history of Ash Williams and ‘The Evil Dead’ Trilogy

Ash Williams first appeared in the 1981 cult classic horror film “The Evil Dead.” Written and directed by Sam Raimi, “The Evil Dead” tells the story of five college students spending their spring break in a cabin in the woods.

Anyone who knows anything about horror can imagine how badly this turns out as the group is attacked by demons and Ash is forced to kill his friends and loved ones. Known for its over the top gore and black humor, “The Evil Dead” proved popular enough for a sequel, and six years later “The Evil Dead II” was released.

"The Evil Dead II" proved to be just as successful as its predecessor, with many even citing it to better than the original. It once again starred Bruce Campbell as Ash Williams, as he continued his battle against the demons at the cabin.

With a bigger budget and with finer tuned comedy, it wasn’t long until another sequel was in the works. Five years later in 1992 the third sequel “Army of Darkness” was released. “Army of Darkness” saw Ash Williams in a brand-new setting as he was transported to the Middle Ages during the ending of the last film. The film once again had an even bigger budget, but this time wasn’t received as well.

Despite still receiving generally good reviews, “Army of Darkness” didn’t receive the near-universal acclaim that the first two films had received. After “Army of Darkness,” it would take a little over two decades before Ash Williams would return. This time though, Ash made his comeback on TV instead of film. “Ash Vs Evil Dead” first premiered on Starz in 2015 and starred Bruce Campbell as an older washed up Ash Williams.

With the events of all the previous movies leaving a heavy toll on him, Ash struggled to put aside his issues to fight the Deadites one last time. Running for three seasons the show was a hit with fans of “The Evil Dead,” but was canceled shortly before the end of the third season.

What awaits Bruce Campbell

Rumors have been floating around about an “Evil Dead 4” or an “Army of Darkness II” for years, but this seems unlikely with Bruce announcing his retirement. While many actors have claimed to have retired for a role only to come back to it, much like how Mark Hamill did with the Joker, with Bruce’s age in mind, I believe him when he says he’s retired. Despite this, Bruce had made no indication that he’s retiring from acting altogether, so it seems safe to say he will continue working on other film and TV projects as he finds them.

On his Twitter account, he has said he will be attending the Fandemic Comic Convention Tour in Sacramento, and he even joked that “I haven’t retired from cons.” Also, just because Bruce has retired from playing Ash Williams doesn’t mean he won’t help produce future “Evil Dead” projects, similarly to how he did for the 2013 “Evil Dead” remake. Either way, this is in no way the end of Bruce Campbell’s career or the end of the “Evil Dead” franchise. If you’re interested in reading about another show where the dead attack the living, check out this article on “The Walking Dead” Season 9 finale. If you’re instead interested in something more family-friendly check out this article on the “Incredibles 2” trailer.
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