Upcoming Horror Movie Will Reboot A $677 Million Franchise After ... - Screen Rant

Summary

• Final Destination 6 being labeled a reboot is good news for the franchise, as it has seen a decline in quality and consistency.
• The return of the character William Bludworth suggests that the upcoming film won't be a complete clean slate, but it may shed excessive lore and rules.
• The reboot label indicates that Final Destination 6 may take a new approach to the franchise formula, potentially delivering a fresh and exciting installment.

Confirmation of Final Destination 6's reboot status is good news for the franchise. The original Final Destination, despite an unfairly low Rotten Tomatoes score, is arguably one of the best horror movies of all time, or at least one of the most popular. The film follows a group of teens who successfully avoid a plane crash due to a premonition, only to see death come for each of them in a series of macabre "accidents". It was a hit for New Line Cinema, taking home $113 million on a $23 million budget and spawning a franchise, yet there hasn't been a new installment since 2011.

As with many horror franchises, Final Destination has seen a gradual decline across its numerous sequels. The follow-ups oscillate in tone and quality, seemingly uncertain of whether the franchise ought to be scary or silly. Nevertheless, the format has remained the same, with each film following a group of young people who avoid a catastrophe, only to be picked off one by one. The latest Final Destination 6 news is encouraging; the film is being labeled a reboot, written and directed by franchise newcomers who promise to shake off the series' stagnation with an exciting new direction.

The New Final Destination Movie Is A Reboot (Sort Of)

After years of speculation over whether the upcoming Final Destination 6 will be a reboot, the production finally seems to have given confirmation via a recent interview with production designer Rachel O'Toole. However, O'Toole's comment, "we do consider it a reboot" is far from definitive. The Final Destination continuity has always been somewhat episodic, with the core casts changing in every film. The only consistent character is the mortician/potential emissary of death William Bludworth, as played by Tony Todd. The character, who appears in nearly every Final Destination movie, is confirmed to be in Final Destination 6.

Why The Final Destination Reboot Is Good News For The Franchise

Since Dodd's Wiliam Bludworth will be returning, it's clear that Final Destination 6 won't be a totally clean slate. Nevertheless, O'Toole's comments may imply that the upcoming film will shed much of the lore of preceding installments. Legacy sequels such as 2019's Halloween and The Exorcist: Believer pulls a similar trick by skipping over every franchise entry except the original. This would be good for Final Destination, which is beginning to feel overburdened with rules and loopholes for cheating death. With every new rule, the spirit of death becomes more knowable, subtracting from the pervasive spirit of helplessness that makes Final Destination so scary.

The "reboot" label may also refer to a new take on the Final Destination blueprint; this, too, would be welcome. Indeed, franchise creator Jeffrey Reddick confirmed that Final Destination 6 will break the classic franchise formula, although he was careful not to give away any details. All five precursor movies follow a highly similar plot structure, with the only unknown factors being how exactly the characters will die, and what method they might use to cheat death. If Final Destination 6 succeeds at finding a different way to tell this story, it could deliver the most interesting and novel installment since the original film.