‘Evil Dead’ remake loses Lily Collins, gets new male lead

When news broke last month that the upcoming remake of the cult horror movie "The Evil Dead" had cast actress Lily Collins ("Mirror, Mirror") as its lead, fan reaction was mixed. Many weren't too keen on the idea of a remake in the first place, but the thought of replacing the wise-cracking, chainsaw-armed Ash (Bruce Campbell) with a girl suffering from a substance abuse problem was too much for some, despite the involvement of series creator Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man").

Well, fickle horror fans can no longer complain. Their reasoning wasn't sound and their arguments sometimes bordered on sexist, but they got their way in the end. Variety reports that Collins has dropped out of the project, citing scheduling conflicts, and has since been replaced by male actor Shiloh Fernandez ("Red Riding Hood"). The young American actor probably won't be playing Ash per se, but rather a male version of the Mia character created for this film: a troubled youth who escapes to a lonely cabin with a group of friends in order to detox.

Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez ("Panic Attack") directs the remake of the 1981 horror classic, based on a script he wrote with some work from scribe Diablo Cody ("Young Adult") thrown in for good measure. Series originators Raimi and Campbell are said to be closely involved as producers. The original "Evil Dead" spawned two increasingly goofy sequels (though "Evil Dead II" was technically also a remake of the first), comics, video games, and even a hit musical.

Nothing against Fernandez, but Collins' exit may rob the "Evil Dead" reboot of its interesting angle. Replacing a character that defined the pinnacle of cartoonish manliness with a woman suffering from real problems was a bold move by Alvarez and the producers. The film looked to offer a straight-faced and relatable take on the darkly comedic horror franchise. It seems very possible that the producers are bowing to fan pressure: bring back Ash or don't remake it at all! A straight rehash might be true to the originals, but it's not terribly interesting.

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