It seems that Death has managed to cheat the Warner Bros. Discovery / HBO Max cull, as despite being shunted to the streaming service back in January, not only is Final Destination 6 still moving ahead, but the horror sequel has now found its directors.
As revealed by THR, filmmaking duo Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein are set to direct the franchise relaunch, which has been scripted by Guy Busick and Lori Evans Taylor, the writers behind Ready or Not and this year’s Scream.
Lipovsky and Stein previously directed the 2018 sci-fi thriller Freaks, which we described as “freakishly good” in our ★★★★ review, and secured the Final Destination gig ahead of more than 200 other directing candidates with a rather unique zoom pitch, as relayed by the trade:
The duo made their pitch to New Line execs and producers together, with a burning fireplace behind them. As they wrapped up the meeting, the fire came alive and the mantel began burning. The filmmakers stopped and, after a tense moment, quickly extinguished the flames.
As they sat down, everyone relieved the accident had passed, a wrenching creak was heard and suddenly, the whizzing ceiling fan broke off and flew down, decapitating one of the filmmakers. The execs and producers went from concern to all-out laughter. The bit, using a combination of prerecorded footage and visual effects, had transitioned seamlessly and showed their unabashed enthusiasm. It was, to all involved, the cherry on top.
The first Final Destination was released in 2000 and followed a group of high schoolers who avoided a plane crash thanks to a premonition, only to then find themselves hunted by Death itself. It spawned four sequels between 2003 and 2011, with a combined series box office of $667 million.
