The massively popular Evil Dead franchise will take its next step forward in 2026 with Evil Dead Burn. The production process got a major update straight from the movie’s writer/director, Sébastien Vaniček. After a long hiatus, the franchise was rebooted in 2013 with Evil Dead by Fede Álvarez, and followed up with Lee Cronin’s Evil Dead Rise in 2023.
The franchise’s current cadence involves Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, the originators of the Evil Dead series, hand-picking a new director for each installment. Each director brings their unique style to the base concept of Deadites wreaking havoc on the mortal world, ensuring that while there are commonalities and Easter eggs, each new movie can comfortably be treated as a stand-alone.
The latest choice, 28-year-old writer and director Sébastien Vaniček, made a name for himself in the horror genre with the arachnophobic French creature feature Infested (titled Vermines in the original French) in 2023. Vaniček recently took to Instagram to share an exciting update about the production of Evil Dead Burn, noting that filming is now underway.
The movie will star Souheila Yacoub (Dune: Part Two), Hunter Doohan (Daredevil: Born Again), Luciane Buchanan (The Night Agent), and Tandi Wright (Pearl). While details about the plot remain sparse—with the movie’s release date still a year away—we do know that Evil Dead Burn is the first of two Evil Dead movies currently in development.
What Sébastien Vaniček’s Update Means For Evil Dead Burn
Sam Raimi’s Hand-Picked Director Will Bring His Unique Style To The Franchise
Sébastien Vaniček proved he can creep audiences out with his feature-length directorial debut Infested, which showcased a French housing complex overrun by rapidly growing and mutating spiders. Now, Vaniček gets the opportunity to bring his style to the Deadites, adhering to a few basic guidelines while unleashing a fresh take on these nightmarish demons.
In addition to Evil Dead Burn, another as-yet-untitled Evil Dead movie is in development under the direction of Francis Galluppi, another hand-picked choice of Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures.
With the movie’s release date a year away, production should swiftly yield an effective marketing campaign. Evil Dead Rise was a runaway hit at the box office after a 10-year break since Evil Dead, raking in $147 million on a budget of just $19 million. It stands to reason that Warner Bros. will want to capitalize on the renewed interest in the franchise.
Our Take On Evil Dead Burn’s Upcoming Release
Vaniček Can Deliver On The Perspective He Gave The Studio
Vaniček’s vision for Evil Dead Burn sounds like it will be a singularly brutal examination of the Deadites’ chaos. As he expressed to the French publication Konbini:
I told the studio that I wanted to make a nasty film, a film that hurts, from which you come away tested.
This suggests that Vaniček will lean harder into the gory, vicious side of the Deadites, steering away from the campy chaos they’re known for. This direction should bode extremely well for the movie’s prospects with both critics and at the box office, as the bloody Evil Dead Rise left no stone unturned in its visceral portrayal of horror.
Evil Dead Burn has all the pieces in place to continue moving the Evil Dead franchise in the right direction. Sébastien Vaniček’s update regarding the commencement of production marks the beginning of what promises to be an exhilarating hype cycle among horror fans.
For further insights, explore other genres and directors, like Oppenheimer and Christopher Nolan.