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Updated on 7/13/11: We just received official word from Mandate Pictures confirming that the Evil Dead remake is underway, and sharing an intriguing new piece of information -- Diablo Cody is working on the latest draft of the screenplay. More after the jump...

Here's the official announcement we received today:

Sam Raimi and original producing partners Rob Tapert and Bruce Campbell (who also starred in the original franchise) are gearing up to remake their cult sensation THE EVIL DEAD through their long standing Ghost House Pictures partnership.  Raimi and Tapert were such instant fans of Fede Alvarez's short film "Panic Attack" that they set up a blind deal with the filmmaker and through that process have attached Fede Alvarez to write and direct the film. Alvarez wrote the script with Rodo Sayagues. Academy Award® winning screenwriter Diablo Cody is currently doing revisions on the draft.  Ghost House is committed to renewing the franchise and has the film on the fast track. 

Raimi, Tapert and Campbell will serve as producers.  Ghost House Pictures partners Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane will executive produce. Nicole Brown and J.R. Young will oversee the project for Ghost House.  Lionsgate will handle international sales on the film.

The three producing partners commented, "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."

And here's our first story on this news, which we posted yesterday (7/12)...

Horror fans have been hungry for another Evil Dead film ever since Ash blasted his last Deadite in Army of Darkness waaay back in 1993. Well it looks like Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell have finally decided to give the people what they want. Campbell just confirmed via Twitter that production has indeed started on the Evil Dead remake. 

News of the Evil Dead quasi-remake began yesterday on Dread Central, which got it "on good authority from a very reliable source that long-time Sam Raimi editor Bob Murawski (Army of Darkness; Spider-man, Drag me to Hell) has packed up and headed out to Detroit to begin work on the long talked about fourth entry into the Evil Dead franchise, which will be 'a small indie thing like the first two.'"

Campbell then confirmed via his new Twitter account (@GroovyBruce) that production has indeed begun: "Believe in the remake, dawg! The project is real. In the works. Cool as hell. Scary as hell."

Next our friends over at Bloody Disgusting got involved and learned that a director has been appointed by Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures and Mandate: Uruguayan filmmaker Fede Alvarez (Federico Alvarez), whose short film Panic Attack! (which you can see below) was an internet smash in 2009.

So it looks like Evil Dead fans won't have to wait much longer for this franchise to rise from the Ash-es! (Sorry.)