It's been over 20 years since Ash (Bruce Campbell) fought off the deadites, and in that span, fans have clamored for the character to return.  Evil Dead came back as a remake but without Ash, and looking at the angry, ugly nature of that film, his absence was for the best.  Now Ash will be back for real with the Evil Dead TV series, which will run 10 half-hour episodes on Starz in late 2015.  Campbell will return to play his iconic character, and Sam Raimi, who directed the original trilogy of Evil Dead movies, will helm the pilot and executive produce.

Campbell, ever the raconteur, recently spoke to EW about the show and what fans can expect—in short, they should be very pleased because the actor knows his character and this franchise inside and out.  Hit the jump for more on the Evil Dead TV series.

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Image via Universal

Campbell spent a substantial portion of his EW interview explaining that we'll be seeing the Ash we all know and love even though he's kind of character you'd feel uncomfortable knowing and probably hate.  Here are some of Campbell's best quotes on the bumbling deadite-killer:

Something we’re doing is taking the horror parts very seriously. We’re not making fun of the horror aspects. And it’s going to cause Ash—this crabby middle-aged man who doesn’t want to get dragged back into this—a lot of problems. He’s not the Ash he used to be.

He continues being a trash-talking know-it-all who doesn’t really know anything. He’s the ultimate anti-hero. He’s a guy with no appreciable skills. He’s not a former Navy SEAL, he’s not a former CIA or FBI. He’s no special anything. He’s just a guy from S-Mart, you know?

Ash has survivor’s guilt. You could have a heyday with his PTSD. He’s a war vet. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and he’ll lie about that stump on his hand to impress the ladies. This is a guy who’s got some issues. He’s emotionally stunted. But he’s the guy you want in the foxhole next to you. That’s the funny thing—he’s kind of an idiot, but man, if I had to go to battle, I’d want to be next to that guy, because he’ll bring it if he has to.

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Image via Renaissance Pictures

And just as they'll stay true to Ash, they'll be staying true to the franchise:

We’re going to give people a little of the old fashioned splatstick—horror and comedy. The fans have been really good to us over the years. This is an opportunity to do something with full street cred. [Fan reaction to last year’s Evil Dead remake] was all, “Yeah yeah, that was nice, fellas, but we still want the real deal.” This is it. Sam’s back. I’m back. [Executive producer Rob Tapert’s] back. Love it or hate it, this will be the real deal.

Details on the plot are still scarce, but Ash won't be going solo on this adventure.  Campbell wouldn't offer up much of a description beyond saying that they're "two very good counterparts", and the male-bonding relationship with one and a father-figure relationship with the other will chip away at Ash's loner-veteran persona.

Campbell also says that there will definitely be some serious horror elements, noting "we intend to give them quite the explosion of viscera. Most of it directed at me, unfortunately."  That includes putting Campbell through his slapstick paces:

I’m going to try to roll back the hands of time a little bit. It’s probably about doing a lot of stretching. And my stunt man will probably be spectacular—this guy’s going to wish his mother never met his father.

Groovy.