Bruce Campbell, Burn Notice

Burn Notice star Jeffrey Donovan wasn't there to deliver the news, but Bruce Campbell revealed to eager Comic-Con fans Thursday that his character will soon be stepping out on his own.



Behold: A Burn Notice prequel centered on Sam Axe is on its way.

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Jeff Wachtel, president of original programming for USA, made the news official, and Campbell approved. "I have to say that USA finally got their sh-- together," the actor said.The prequel, a one-time movie that does not yet have an air date, will follow Sam Axe's last mission in the military, executive producer Matt Nix said. "You will see what happened and how Sam Axe ended up retiring in Miami. We learn a little more about the guy, and we get to see Sam Axe in action with guns. And I'm hoping you're OK with this, but I'm thinking about putting a chainsaw in your hand," Nix said to Campbell, best known for his role as the chainsaw-handed Ash in the Evil Dead

saga."Campbell tossed several new Chuck Finley shirts into the crowd; Finley, fans know, is one of Sam's covers. Girls screamed at the mere mention of Donovan's name, but they were no match for those who kissed up to Campbell. And just like he did at last year's Comic-Con, Campbell got up and actually paid those fans money."There's a little more to Sam that we have to find out, like how many more ladies does he get this season," said Campbell. He then offered up a love interest role to any of the women in the audience who were willing to leave their headshots and phone numbers at the end of the stage.

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Missing in action from the Con besides Donovan were Sharon Gless and Gabrielle Anwar, whose character Fiona will go missing soon. "There's an episode coming up when Fiona gets kidnapped," said Campbell, who stressed that you should "never kidnap Fiona. She'll do anything to get out of that room, and she'll remember you and she'll come back and blow your face off."As for Gless, who is Emmy nominated this year for her role, Nix said her character is loosely based on Nix's chain-smoking grandmother. "Sharon started doing the show primarily because of the smoking," Nix joked. "Ultimately, it was really written for [Sharon] more than anything."Are you looking forward to a Sam Axe prequel?