Those in attendance to the panel of "Ash vs. Evil Dead" at the recently concluded New York City Comic Con got an additional surprise as star Bruce Campbell and director Sam Raimi treated fans to the premiere of the first episode.
IGN reports that the crowd loved the first episode, and that the premise of the show perfectly combines the past and present of the "Evil Dead Series."
The story of "Ash vs. Evil Dead" takes place almost 30 years after the events of the "Evil Dead" film, according to Variety. During this time, for reasons not yet revealed, the Deadites have made their way into the modern world and have begun to spread the Deadite plague across the planet. It is up to Ash, his trusty chainsaw, boomstick and the rest his team to stop the Deadite before it is too late.
However, over the 30 some odd years that have passed, it seems that Ash is not as quick and limber as he used to be. In fact, according to actor Bruce Campbell, this is one of the major plot points of the show, as well as a big source of humor.
Lucy Lawless will be portraying the main villain of the show as a character simply known as Ruby. As Ruby travels to find Ash, she finds out that Ash is actually the main cause of the Deadite outbreak and seeks revenge against him. Lawless has said that Ruby was one of the most difficult characters that she has ever had to play, and that bad times are coming for Ash.
"Ash vs. Evil Dead" also marks the first time that Campbell and Lawless have been on screen together since their time on "Xena: Warrior Princess." Campbell also remarked on this fact, stating that he is finally no longer playing second fiddle to someone else's hero, even though it took Hollywood over 30 years to recognize his potential.
Fans who did get to see the show are glad that it had been picked up by Starz because of the graphic nature of the "Evil Dead" franchise. Starz is well known for allowing mature content onto its shows, as seen in popular series such as "Spartacus: Blood and Sand" and "Spartacus: Gods of the Arena."
"Ash vs. Evil" dead is set to premiere to fans who were not in attendance at NYCC on October 31 on Starz.