Final Destination creator believes that the franchise needs to avoid one major story mistake. Created by Jeffrey Reddick, Final Destination first established itself as a horror movie franchise upon the 2000 release of the first installment, Final Destination. Since then, there have been four sequels, most recently with Final Destination 5 in 2011.
Reddick voices his opinion on what the franchise should avoid in its next installment. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, the Final Destination creator said that he does not “like the idea that everybody dies at the end” of the film series. Instead, he wants to “bring some survivors back” and express a more hopeful message about human strength and the ability humans have to “prolong” their lives. Check out the full quote from Reddick below:
I don’t like the idea that everybody dies at the end of [the films]. It’s too cynical. It becomes a point of, “Why are we watching this if everybody’s going to die in the end?” So I kept pushing to bring some survivors back. Because I want the idea to be that you can’t cheat death — death is inevitable for all of us — but you can prolong your life.
And I saw that through my mother. She lived to be 97 and had cancer tumor surgery at 87, and they said, “She’s not going to survive the surgery.” Ten years after all the doctors said she wouldn’t be with us, she was still with us, and very sound of mind. So I’ve seen how strong we can be, how strong people can be. We just often don’t see it.
What Is Next For The Final Destination Franchise?
Given the premise of Final Destination, Reddick’s take on the end of the franchise is slightly surprising. All the Final Destination movies focus on a character who narrowly avoids death, only to see a vision of a disaster to come. Known for its brutal and gory death sequences, Final Destination has an incredibly high body count and typically does not allow its survivors to make it through many sequels. Reddick, on the other hand, sees the end of Final Destination in a different light.
Final Destination has released a new entry since 2011, but the series will not end with Final Destination 5. Though it does not have a release date, Final Destination 6 has been confirmed and will be co-directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein. Final Destination 6 has not confirmed any cast members, but one possible character return could be William Bludworth (Tony Todd), given that he is one of the few characters to appear in multiple entries. Because of his mysterious nature and insight into death, there have been theories that the coroner could be personified as the Grim Reaper, which could be explored in a movie.
Interestingly enough, Reddick himself will not be involved in Final Destination 6. The screenplay is set to be written by Guy Busick, Lori Evans Taylor, and Jon Watts. Hopefully, these screenwriters will take the Final Destination creator’s words in stride as they continue the development of Final Destination 6.
