Once Freddy vs Jason struck theaters in 2003, filmmakers were quickly rushing to figure out the next big crossover. One idea was to throw Evil Dead’s Ash Williams alongside Freddy and Jason, but the idea quickly dissipated.
There were several reasons given for this, and Bruce Campbell recently opened up about one of them.
The star, who is currently still playing Ash in the Starz series Ash vs Evil Dead, revealed the reasoning during a Reddit AMA.
“Aside from Freddy and Jason, were any other crossovers ever discussed for Ash? Always thought Evil Dead/Hellraiser would be good,” asked one of the users. Campbell’s response?
I’ll be honest with you. I’m not real interested in cross overs. One of the main reasons why ‘Ash vs. Jason vs. Freddy’ did not come to pass is because we couldn’t control any other character other than Ash. That felt like a creatively bankrupt way to go. Not to mention, you’re splitting the proceeds three ways with partners you might not want.”
Although this may have ended up being a good thing, allowing the Evil Dead franchise to continue freely, it does ruin our chances at seeing what could’ve been one of the best sequels ever made.
It’s also a shame that they never made a sequel at all, for that matter. Both the Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street franchises have been remade since Freddy vs Jason, and unfortunately they’re in the process of being remade a second time.