Warning: the following contains spoilers for Final Destination Bloodlines.Final Destination Bloodlines co-director Zach Lipovsky opens up about a scrapped plan to bring back A.J. Cook’s Kimberly Corman, the protagonist of Final Destination 2. Directed by Adam Stein and Lipovsky, Bloodlines marks the sixth entry in the Final Destination franchise and was released in May.

After finding success at the box office, having made $280 million worldwide, the movie was released on digital platforms on June 17 to be rented and owned at home. As confirmed in the movie, Kimberly is one of the only people to survive Death’s plans, and she is still alive in-universe.

In an interview with ScreenRant for Final Destination Bloodlines‘ home release, Lipovsky revealed that they initially were going to include a cameo for Cook’s character. The director shared that in the first script, Kimberly appeared during the William Bludworth scene, but they decided to write her out and save her return for the future to allow Tony Todd’s character to take the central stage. Read his comment below:

It could definitely work in the future. It was actually something that we essentially killed. The first draft that we read—you guys are good at that. Yeah, the first draft that we read had them finding… and then he goes, he starts to talk about Kimberly and how she came back to life, and then was like, “Here she is,” and opened a door and she came out. And it was sort of like, has she just been hiding in that room waiting this whole time? And then it also kind of took away from the Bludworth of it all. And we just kind of felt like, much better to make this movie about—he’s the one we’re learning about in the past and all that type of stuff. And then save Kimberly for the future as a character that exists out there. And so there were some rumors that she had been on set or anything like that. None of that was true. It was just sort of an early draft of realizing that she’s one of—basically the only two survivors that exist.

What This Means For The Final Destination Franchise

Kimberly Will Likely Return In Future Final Destination Films

Despite having survived Death’s sinister design, Kimberly has only appeared in Final Destination 2. She and other protagonists have been mentioned throughout the franchise, but a cameo has yet to happen, with each movie featuring a new ensemble cast. So far, the only characters who have managed to appear in multiple movies are Bludworth and Ali Later’s Clear Rivers, who appeared in the first and second movies.

Final Destination Bloodlines connects to the previous movies similarly, through simple references. Lipovsky’s comment offers an explanation for why the latest installment sticks to the franchise’s usual format.

Todd, who portrayed the mysterious mortician, died months after filming the 2025 horror flick. On-screen, Bludworth revealed that he’s sick and is done running from Death. With the character meeting his demise off-screen, Bludworth isn’t returning in future Final Destination movies. Based on Lipovsky’s comments, Kimberly will likely return and take the mortician’s place to guide the next group.

On the other hand, there is no official word on Final Destination 7 despite the sixth entry’s box office success and positive reception. It seems very possible, but is far from confirmed.

Our Take On Kimberly’s Absence In Final Destination Bloodlines

Final Destination Bloodlines Gives Tony Todd’s Bludworth The Perfect Sendoff Instead

Final Destination Bloodlines revealed the mysterious mortician’s origin story and connection to Death, and not having Kimberly in the scene allowed it to focus on Tony Todd’s Bludworth, who has been a staple in the franchise. It gave Todd an opportunity to say goodbye to the fans, and fans a moment to process the emotional weight of the film. Having Kimberly wouldn’t allow the scene to breathe.

On the other hand, it sounds like A.J. Cook’s Kimberly is very likely to return in future Final Destination films if the seventh installment is greenlit. It’s also very likely that the character might take over Bludworth’s place as a staple moving forward. Bludworth will be missed, but there’s still Kimberly to look forward to when the Final Destination franchise returns.