Production on The Evil Dead remake is ramping up with shooting scheduled to start next month in New Zealand. Casting is officially underway, reportedly adding Jane Levy and Shiloh Fernandez last week to lead the potential series reboot.
Lynn Collins, who stars in next month’s Mirror, Mirror, was originally announced for the female lead, but dropped shortly thereafter due to “scheduling conflicts.” Sam Raimi, who directed the original that launched his career, is producing the redo. Relatively unknown Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez is directing, after getting Raimi’s attention with his four-and-a-half minute short “Panic Attack!”
Alvarez co-wrote the script, which Diablo Cody (Juno, Jennifer’s Body) polished last summer. Harry Knowles at Ain’t It Cool News has read the October 2011 draft and provides some plot details, but he’s not the only one who has seen it. Minor spoilers incoming:
Deadline confirms Levy will play Mia a drug addict who agrees to a three-day detox at the family cabin. The cabin, for those who have seen the original where a group of filmmakers unleash evil spirits. Raimi’s trademark ’73 Oldsmobile Delta 88 is even parked next to it in the remake. But characterizing Mia as “the new Ash” (referring to the role Bruce Campbell played throughout the trilogy), is misleading. Sure, she wields a chainsaw against evil in a fit of fed-up rage, but Ash’s beloved wit is sadly missing from this spook-a-blast script.
Fernandez will play Mia’s estranged brother David, reports Variety, who noted the competition for the role was tough. Still unannounced are the actors for Natalie, David’s mannered fiancee; Olivia, a nurse; and Eric, a teacher and friend stupid enough to read a black book found in a creepy cellar with demonic images and scrawled warnings inside.
Hallucinations, like an undead coyote, allow the characters to explain away the early supernatural stuff as withdrawal side effects and allow the fillmmakers to make jump cuts to horrific imagery. Next, some demon possession madness and Rami’s history of characters vomiting, often on someone, or watching victims nearly escape… only to fall back into the devil’s grasp. Then, it’s all-out bloody, disturbing, “hard R” rated mayhem.
It goes without saying, but this is a huge break for Levy, whose IMDB page started in 2011 with a small recurring role on Showtime’s “Shameless” before quickly landing the lead on ABC’s critically-acclaimed “Suburgatory.” This will only be her third feature. Impressive.
And it’s a major move for Fernandez, who starred in the under-seen Skateland. He also auditioned for the Edward Cullen role in Twilight and wound up working with its director, Catherine Hardwicke, on Red Riding Hood. I interviewed them both for that release — a faulty hard drive destroyed the evidence of my awful questions — and after it was over, I ran into Fernandez outside. He could not have been nicer, but I was more impressed with his infectious excitement and hunger for better roles. (Especially since I saw the exact opposite from another actor about his age at the same festival.) So, good for Shiloh.
However, even with Raimi on board, Alvarez and company face an uphill battle against a horde of discerning Evil Dead followers. For starters, Raimi’s ’81 original was discovered and adored by horror fans because it was new and different…
The Evil Dead remake is scheduled for April 12, 2013.
Lastly, here is a shot of the road to the cabin in New Zealand, from Alvarez’s Twitter account:
