Starz revives Evil Dead

US cablenet Starz has greenlit a spin-off from classic horror movie The Evil Dead and is working with the team behind the film for the TV version.

Ash vs Evil Dead (10×30′) will be produced by director Sam Raimi and producing partner Rob Tapert, while Ivan Raimi will co-executive produce, with Aaron Lam (Spartacus) attached as producer.

The show is being written by Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi and Tom Spezialy (Desperate Housewives) and will star Bruce Campbell, who reprises his lead role as Ash, the chainsaw-handed monster hunter who is called into action when a plague threatens to destroy all of mankind.

Starz first worked with Raimi and Tapert on Spartacus, the network’s first scripted series.

Carmi Zlotnik, MD of Starz, said: “With Sam writing and directing and Bruce Campbell returning to the screen, we are certain the show will give Evil Dead fans around the world the fix they’ve been craving.”

The original film, released in 1981, became an international success and spawned two sequels, video games and comic books and a reboot last year.

Starz will retain all domestic and international multiplatform rights to the new show, which has been slated for 2015.