Ash vs. Evil Dead: Sam Raimi gives us the inside scoop on the new series

Necro-comic-con

Starz's Ash vs. Evil Dead SDCC panel is due to begin later today, but ahead of the big event the series' co-creator, writer, producer and director, Sam Raimi,spoke with the folks over at Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming horror series. During the interview, the veteran director spoke at length about Ash vs. Evil Dead, its plot, characters and, of course, monster slaying main character Ash.

Anyone worried that old age may have mellowed out our gun-toting, wise-cracking hero can rest easy. “He’s gone through tremendous changes,” confided Raimi, before going on to say, “he’s now old, cocky and stupid."

Since he last tangled with the forces of evil, Ash has been trying to stay under the radar, giving up his mantle as the chosen one and returning to the heady, exciting world of retail. “He’s back to being a stock boy, and he’s working now at the Value Stop and he’s still a little bit of a blowhard. He’s been hiding out pretty much, trying to lay low since his last two encounters with the evil dead. And old age is starting to set in on him. He’s got some teeth problems, and he could be incontinent perhaps. He might be wearing a diaper. And he’s got a few problems coming his way, but because of a foolish mistake he makes, the evil dead are again awakened and that’s what kicks off the series.”

One of the problems coming Ash's way will be Lucy Lawless' new character, Ruby, who Raimi describes as a "very mysterious character". She will act as the series' antagonist, with Raimi calling her Ash's nemesis. Accompanying Ruby in her quest to hunt down Ash will be Amanda Fisher, a Michigan detective whose own motivations are also shrouded in mystery.

Raimi also shed a little light on what kind of tone to expect from the series, describing it as a mix between the first and second films in the series. By the sounds of it, the series retain the grimy, low-fi atmosphere of the original film, but give us a version of Ash that's more in line with the groovy, embattled B-movie badass seen in Dead by Dawn and Army of Darkness.

Expect more news later today when the SDCC Ash vs. Evil Dead panel goes lives.