Earlier this week, rumours started running wild about a new Evil Dead film, with reports indicating that it was about to start filming in Detroit. At the time we weren’t sure if it was going to be a remake or a sequel, and we also weren’t sure if Sam Raimi was going to direct. Now we finally have confirmation straight from Ghost House Pictures: it is a remake and Sam Raimi won’t be in the director’s chair. However, he will be producing along with his good friends Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell. In his place, newcomer Fede Alvarez will helm the flick from a script that he co-wrote with Rodo Sayagues. Diablo Cody is currently doing rewrites on the script as well.

Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez has yet to direct a feature film, but he caught the attention of Hollywood last year when his short film Panic Attack! took YouTube by storm. Raimi ended up signing him to a deal, and although it was believed that he was setting up a feature-length version of the short, we now know that he was hand picked to direct the new Evil Dead.

While it’s potentially worrisome to think of this franchise in the hands of an inexperienced director, I’m excited to see what Alvarez can do with it. The announcement that Diablo Cody is “punching up” the script is slightly less exciting to me, if only because her last film Jennifer’s Body was not very good. I think she’s a talented writer, but I don’t trust her to tone down her very distinct voice in a situation where it is not entirely appropriate. Raimi, Tapert, and Campbell had this to say about the project:

“We are committed to making this movie and are inspired by the enduring popularity and enthusiasm for the ‘Evil Dead’ series. We can’t wait to scare a new generation of moviegoers using filmmaking techniques that were not available to us thirty years ago as well as Fede bringing a fresh eye to the film’s original elements.”

So what do you think? Does this news have you excited, or is it not exactly what you were hoping for? Is Evil Dead ripe for a remake?