As the movie already looks to offer answers to some of the franchise’s long-standing questions, co-director Zach Lipovsky teases that Final Destination Bloodlines will break the series’ well-worn formula. The sixth installment in the hit horror franchise revolves around a young woman who has a premonition of her family dying in a horrible accident, and after saving them all, she learns that Death is not only still coming for them, but previously came for another member of her family. The new Final Destination was developed by Spider-Man vet Jon Watts, Scream‘s Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor.

With less than a month remaining until the movie’s release, GamesRadar+ interviewed Zach Lipovsky to discuss Final Destination Bloodlines. When asked about its placement in the franchise’s timeline, as well as playing with the franchise’s formula, the co-director revealed the sequel will actually do a lot to break from said formula, right down to the order and choice of Death’s victims in the movie, as well as how the premonition is handled differently than prior films. See what Lipovsky shared below:

For this film, the first premonition takes place in 1969. There are lots of deaths during the premonition, which is what normally happens in the opening sequence of a Final Destination movie, but we then come out of the eye of a different person in the modern day. That’s new. For a lot of fans, I think that’s going to immediately throw them for a loop. It’s going to make them lean forward to try and figure out what’s going on. As moviegoers, we love it when you have to lean forward in your seat because a movie is being unpredictable. We switch up a lot of the predictability, including who’s going to die next and how they are going to die. You might think it’s one person, but it’s not. There’s a delight in that.

What Final Destination Bloodlines Breaking The Franchise’s Formula Means For The Film

It Could Avoid The Sins Of Prior Sequels

While the first few films in the series have their defenders, the only Final Destination to score solid reviews after the original was the fifth movie, though even that film suffered from the same critique as the other sequels, which was a feeling of predictability. In the wake of the original movie’s success, it became clear every installment would kill off its survivors in various fashion, with the protagonists also either having their fates left ambiguous or also killed off to evoke a shock ending.

As such, Lipovsky’s comments could point to Final Destination Bloodlines making up for the sins of the franchise’s past. The fact that he, co-director Adam Stein and the writers of the sequel sought to reinstill a sense of surprise in the movie’s story could very well see more of the apparent victims being red herrings for others targeted by Death. The trailer seemingly showcased a few major deaths to come, but also could simply be nods to prior installments, such as Richard Harmon’s Erik, who looks to nearly be run over by a delivery truck after stepping into the street.

One of the other intriguing takeaways from Lipovsky’s comments is that of the movie’s opening premonition ending through the eyes of a different character than the person who originally had it. Given Kaitlyn Santa Juana’s Stefanie looks to be Final Destination Bloodlines‘ protagonist, it seems likely she’ll be the one to have said vision, serving as an inciting catalyst for the rest of the plot as she searches for answers from her grandmother. To Lipovsky’s credit, this would be the first time a premonition is shared by multiple people, as past movies have only seen one character have such.

Our Take On Final Destination Bloodlines Breaking The Franchise’s Formula

It Could Lead To A Very Different Future For The Series

While I’ve always been a defender of most of the franchise, Lipovsky’s tease of a very different story structure gives me a lot of faith in Final Destination Bloodlines to stand out from its predecessors. It also gives me hope about what the future of the franchise could look like beyond this film, as a change in the formula could lead to multiple characters surviving and impact future characters who survive a brush with Death.

Source: GamesRadar+