In just a few days, horror fans will revisit one of the most beloved franchises of the 21st century, as Final Destination Bloodlines revives the brutal and bloody universe of terrifying premonitions and death. It is an icon in the genre, and after more than two decades, only one performer will have shown up in all six movies (in one way or another). The late, great Tony Todd, who sadly passed away in November 2024, was invited to reprise his role one more time, and according to the Bloodlines directors, his presence had something of a hauntingly meta approach to it.
In a conversation with The Guardian, Final Destination Bloodlines directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky addressed Todd’s role in Final Destination Bloodlines, which marks his final live-action role (his voice role in the animated series Devil May Cry was released posthumously) and is a full-circle moment for the dearly departed actor, who is the only one to appear in all the Final Destination films. Sure, his role in Final Destination 3 was only in voice-over, but still his character, the mysterious undertaker and coroner William Bludworth, heavily resonated with fans throughout the franchise. It is hard to imagine a Final Destination movie without Todd, and Stein thought the same when they had to think about convincing the actor, who was suffering with stomach cancer, to appear one more time:
“Everyone involved knew he was ill, and we weren’t sure at certain points whether he would be able to participate. It was a really unique moment because, talking about his own death for the movie on this meta level, he’s speaking to the fans about his death.
And so in that moment when he had his final goodbye, we asked him if he would be able to kind of put the script away and do a take where he spoke from the heart about what death means and what life means… It’s his honest words of wisdom direct to you.”
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Bloodlines directors Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky also teased a traumatizing experience for viewers revisiting the Final Destination universe. “What are the everyday experiences or everyday objects or everyday feelings that we can ruin for people?” Stein says about Bloodlines, while Lipovsky says that his research included “stuff the audience generally would believe is possible.” The grim reaper will officially be back on May 16, 2025.
The Value of a Collective Horror Experience
One of the most common topics of discussion in the entertainment industry today has to do with why films should have a theatrical run or not. It’s, of course, cheaper to send a film directly to streaming, but there’s nothing like a solid box-office performance to make studio heads change their mind. This year’s Sinners is certainly proof of that, with the horror movie no doubt shaking up the business.
Horror is a huge part of this conversation because scary movies don’t always get a theatrical release. Much like other genres with strong fanbases, horror tends to drive people inside a theater because a scary experience shared with other people inside a dark movie theater is unlike any other. Perhaps it’s the sigh of relief after a scare, or the laughs whenever we’re supposed to be nervous. In any case, it works, and Stein certainly agrees:
“The communal experience of watching this movie in a theater is really something to behold. Twelve minutes in, when a little boy gets crushed by a falling piano, the entire audience erupts in cheers. And that is something really fun.”
Source: The Guardian
- Release Date
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May 16, 2025
- Runtime
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109 Minutes
- Director
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Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
- Producers
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Craig Perry, Jon Watts, Dianne McGunigle
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Kaitlyn Santa Juana
Stephanie Lewis
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Teo Briones
Charlie Lewis
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Owen Patrick Joyner
Bobby
