While the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con was ostensibly holding a presentation for the new TV movie “Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe,” the 5,000 or so fans who lined up (reportedly beginning before 5 a.m.) were clearly there to see its star, Bruce Campbell. The “Evil Dead” star chatted with “Burn Notice” creator Matt Nix about the show, but mostly he played to the crowd, chucking DVDs into the audience, cracking jokes and soaking up the love.
Campbell cracked wise about the process of having his “Burn Notice” co-star Jeffrey Donavan direct him on the new project. “[He asked] ‘Did you enjoy working on that episode I directed?’ Sure, you did a great job, what do you think I’m going to say to the star of the show? It sucked, you were an asshole? He started to go up the list [of directors] somehow. I think he was hurting people in back alleys.” But, all jokes aside (for a moment), Campbell said of Donovan, “We’ve worked for five years together. We can say anything.”
Keeping in the silly vein, Nix showed a mockumentary about Donovan losing his mind during filming in Bogata (he was alternately accused of “going native” and having inappropriate relations with a donkey).
And while everyone in the audience seemed to be a fan of “Burn Notice,” their hearts belonged to Campbell during the Q&A. After one fan asked Campbell to wink for her, he blinked and gamely joked, “I’ve been married for twenty years, lady.”
Though Campbell has been confirmed as having a cameo in the upcoming “Evil Dead” remake being written by Diablo Cody (“Juno,”), fans didn’t ask and Campbell didn’t tell anything about the project. Today was all about Sam Axe. Campbell promised, “I think we have a couple more years in us, wait and see,” a sentiment met by hoots of approval.