After a 14-year hiatus, theFinal Destinationfranchise was brought back to life with this year’s critically acclaimedFinal Destination: Bloodlines. The recent and highly successful release of the franchise’s sixth film has now paved the way for a confirmed seventh installment.
According toThe Hollywood Reporter, theFinal Destinationfilm series is officially expanding, and Warner Bros. and New Line are already in development on the next horror outing.
The upcoming seventh installment will be written by Lori Evans Taylor, who co-wroteBloodlines;this is great news for fans, given the latter film’s success. The feature will be produced by franchise creator Craig Perry alongside veteran Sheila Hanahan Taylor,Spider-Man: Homecomingdirector Jon Watts, Watts' wife Dianne McGunigle, and Toby Emmerich. Warren Zide will executive produce. While there’s no word yet on who will direct, we’re hoping thatBloodlinedirectors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein will return to the helm and deliver another elevated horror film.
Final Destination: Bloodlines, which was released theatrically this May, was a success, quickly becoming the franchise’s most successful outing. It grossed over $286 million globally against a production budget of $50 million, and the film opened at the number one spot at the worldwide box office. Its achievement marks a major win for New Line, asFinal Destination(with a global gross of $983 million) is now their third-ranked horror series, behind only The Conjuring universe and theITmovie series.
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ Released to Critical Acclaim
Along with drawing audiences to theaters,Bloodlinesalso won over critics. The horror sequel holds a Certified Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% critic score, a significant leap in critical acclaim for the decades-long franchise.Bloodlinesserves as a prequel and is centered on college student Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana), who is tormented by nightmares about a 1960s accident that her grandmother was involved in. The film also stars Brec Bassinger, Teo Briones, Owen Patrick Joyner, Richard Harmon, and Gabrielle Rose.
MovieWeb’s own Will Sayre lauded the film, noting that “directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam B. Stein are breathing life back into this hard R-rated cinematic universe.” He added:
“‘Bloodlines’succeeds by paying homage to the previous films’ more iconic sequences, weaving in a stupendous cameo from the late, great Tony Todd and building on the franchise with a couple of nifty twists and bloody turns.”
Sayre did mention that “questionable special effects here and there” could “overshadow the experience,” but his overall praise was overwhelmingly positive. As Sayre mentions, Bloodlines includes a “stupendous cameo” from the late iconic horror actor Tony Todd. This marks Todd’s final film appearance: Todd, who is best known for his roles in theCandymanseries and as the mysterious William Bludworth in theFinal Destinationfranchise, passed away in November 2024.Bloodlineswas released posthumously, and Todd’s appearance serves as a poignant moment for horror fans.
While we wait for more news about the upcoming seventh installment,we can streamFinal Destination: Bloodlineson HBO Max, along with all six films in the franchise, which are available to stream now.
