Our thoughts and prayers go out tonight to the great Bruce Campbell, Ash himself, who revealed he has been diagnosed with cancer that is “treatable” but not “curable”—which, in other words, seems to imply it’s terminal.
A glass-half-full way of looking at it, and I wouldn’t expect anything else from Campbell, whom I’ve met a handful of times and who has always been a pleasure to converse with.
While Campbell did not specify the details of his diagnosis, he noted in a social media announcement, “I’m posting this, because professionally, a few things will have to change — appearances and cons and work in general need to take [a] back seat to treatment.”
Concluding, he added, “That’s about it. I’m not trying to enlist sympathy—or advice—I just want to get ahead of this information in case false information gets out (which it will). Fear not, I am a tough old son-of-a-bitch and I have great support, so I expect to be around a while. As always, you’re the greatest fans in the world and I hope to see you soon!”
Campbell is of course known for his iconic role as Ash Williams in the first three “Evil Dead” movies, but his career spans far beyond that cult classic. He brought his trademark eccentricities to films like “Bubba Ho-Tep” and “Maniac Cop,” not to mention the numerous cameos he’s made in close collaborator Sam Raimi’s movies.
I’m incredibly saddened by today’s news; Campbell is only 67, and I hope he has many more years left on this planet. He’s not just a genre icon, but, more importantly, a wonderful human being.
Yes, ‘Doomsday’ was shot without a finalized script. It was being written as production rolled on. The screenplay was still under development on set, with daily rewrites and updates in progress.