Souheila Yacoub to star in Sébastien Vaniček’s Evil Dead Burn (2025)

In the build-up to the release ofEvil Dead Rise(read our review rightHERE) in 2023,Evil Deadfranchise rights holders Sam Raimi,Bruce Campbell, and Rob Tapert let it be known that they were already looking forward to producing more entries in the series, with Campbell revealing they were hoping to make a new sequel / spin-off every two or three years. Last year, they proved their commitment to this idea by hiring Sébastien Vaniček, who made his feature directorial debut on the French horror filmVermin, a.k.a.Infested,to write and direct a new installment in the franchise.And now the project has a cast member: Deadline reports that Souheila Yacoub, a Swiss former rhythmic gymnast who won the Miss Suisse Romande beauty pageant before getting her acting career started, has signed on to star in the film. We had previously heard that this movie would be called Evil Dead Burn and was aiming for a 2026 release, and Deadline was able to confirm that Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema will be giving the film a theatrical release on July 24, 2026.

New Line Cinema and Sony Pictures are co-financing the film, which Vaniček will be directing from a screenplay he wrote with Florent Bernard. Sony will distribute internationally, with Canal Plus distributing in the UK and Metropolitan distributing in France. Details on the story Vaniček will be telling inEvil Dead Burnhave not been revealed, but he has said that he has complete creative control on hisEvil Deadmovie, and intends to give it a French twist.

Franchise creator Sam Raimi is producing the film alongside Rob Tapert, while Romel Adam, Jose Canas, Lee Cronin, and Bruce Campbell serve as executive producers. A while back, Bruce Campbell told AV Club, “It’s all about the books now. It has nothing to do with (franchise hero Ash) or any particular character. InArmy of Darkness, we first saw three books. So we know there are three out there, and none of them are any good. It’s about: where does that darn book wind up, who gets it, and what happens? But the universe is the same. It’s about innocent people with no special skills having to fight for their very lives. … I think the stories will progress a little more now. We’re going to try and do them more like every two or three years rather than every 10 years. It’s also the first time Sam is working with his brother Ivan to create an overall Bible that will give future writers and directors an idea of where this thing should go next to potentially tie in some of these stories. So I think it’s going to get a little more tied in as the years go by. But because it’s all about the books. It could be a book in the past, a book in the future. It’s yet to be determined.“

Sam Raimi made his feature directorial debut with the originalThe Evil Dead, which introduced Campbell as iconic hero Ash Williams. Ash returned forEvil Dead II, Army of Darkness, and theAsh vs. Evil DeadTV series, with Raimi directing the films and the first episode of the show. After seeing a short film directed by Fede Alvarez, theEvil Deadrights holders gave him the chance to make his feature directorial debut with the Ash-less 2013Evil Dead. Then Lee Cronin was hired to make the Ash-lessEvil Dead Risebased on the strength of his own feature debut, the 2019 filmThe Hole in the Ground.So Sébastien Vaniček being hired to make the nextEvil Deadmovie right after entering the feature world withVermin/Infestedis very on brand for this franchise.

Vaniček’sEvil Dead Burnisn’t the onlyEvil Deadmovie in development. Two months after he was hired to make his movie, the rights holders also hiredFrancis Galluppi, who just made his feature directorial debut with the crime thrillerThe Last Stop in Yuma County, to write and direct his ownEvil Deadflick. We haven’t heard any more about that one. An animated series follow-up toAsh vs. Evil Deadis also in the works.

Souheila Yacoub made her screen acting debut with episodes of the French TV series Plus belle la vie in 2016 and has gone on to have roles in Climax, Les affamés, Les sauvages, The Salt of Tears, No Man’s Land, The Braves, A Brighter Tomorrow, H24, Rise, Before We Collapse, Making Of, The Balconettes, Planet B, and Dune: Part Two, where she played the character Shishakli.

Are you glad to hear that Evil Dead Burn is on track for a 2026 release? What do you think of Souheila Yacoub signing on to star? Let us know by leaving a comment below.