How Final Destination Evolved From an X-Files Reject Script to a Classic Horror Franchise

Keeping everything aside, I’m just curious to know if you’ve ever wondered where it all started for the horror classic? If yes, here, we unravel the intriguing origin story of Final Destination, Jeffrey Reddick’s brainchild.

A Haunting Glimmer: The Real-Life Incident That Inspired the Flight 180 Script

Image Credit: New Line Cinema (via X/@Final Destination Bloodlines)

Hailing from Jackson, Kentucky, Jeffrey Reddick was a horror fanatic who was trying his luck to enter the glamorous world of Hollywood as a horror writer. However, he didn’t know how to make the first move or whom to approach, so he tried contacting several agents seeking guidance.

Some of them asked him to try writing a Spec script for any ongoing show, and that’s when Reddick decided to prepare a script for his favorite show, The X-Files, the popularity of which was on another level at that time. So, he wanted to offer the best script to the show, but instead of an imaginative script, a real-life incident inspired him to work on his first story.

On a day when he was on a flight taking him to his family, he was astonished after reading a shocking article in a magazine. The story was about a woman who had a bad feeling about the flight her daughter was about to take, so when she revealed this to her daughter, she switched flights. And do you know what? The flight (TWA 800) actually crashed, killing every passenger and crew onboard. Reddick was so intrigued with the idea that he decided to pen it for the show.

From Small Screen Project to Big Screen Dream

Initially, Jeffrey wanted to write a story that would get featured on The X-Files. He spent several days watching horror movies to get ideas. The film that was close enough to get inspired by turned out to be Sole Survivor, a 1984 horror film. However, when the 57-page script titled ‘Flight 180’ reached film producer Chris Bender, he asked Reddick to transform it into a feature film script. Fortunately, he agreed. The changed script had no characters similar to the X-Files; a handful of adult characters replaced Charles and Agent Sully.

When he proposed the pitch to the higher-ups of New Line Cinema, where he was an intern at the time, they suggested a few changes in the script. The search for the best writers of the industry began, and it ended with James Wong and Glenn Morgan. After facing timing issues from the writer-duo for several months, the company eventually had them on board.

Modification of Death’s Design: Overcoming Creative Hurdles

Image Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures (X/@FDMovie)

Every author has their own perspective and creative thinking. Isn’t it? While the original script had the ability to become a full-feature film without any modifications, it seems Wong and Morgan wanted the big screen project to stand out in the crowd. As Reddick stated in an interview, the original script drew heavy inspiration from ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street.’ The story indeed showed Death as the ultimate villain who led a group of people to commit suicide after feeling pressured by the survivors’ guilt.

Glenn Morgan also revealed that Death in the original script was a physical entity wearing a hood and holding a scythe. So, they decided to make it more natural and link it to fate.

Our agent said, “Here’s this treatment — these guys at New Line want you to do it.” It was like 15 pages, but I never read past page three because Death was like [the Death character in] Woody Allen’s “Love and Death.” It had a sickle and a hood, and it had a potbellied sheriff going after him. And Jim and I were like, “No.”- Glenn Morgan

Following the discussions over the script, there came a point where the project title didn’t look good to Kerr Smith, who was cast to play the role of one of the key characters, Carter Horton.

When I got hired, the name of the film was “Flight 180” — not a good title. I was talking to either [producer] Craig Perry or Glen on set one day and I was like, “This title’s terrible.” He goes, “Yeah, I know. We’re figuring it out.” And I’d say a week later he comes back and he goes, “Final Destination.” I was like, “Oh, that’s perfect- Kerr Smith

The project saw a couple of more changes, like swapping the adult characters from the original story with a group of teenagers. That’s because the first Scream film starring Courtney Cox and Neve Campbell arrived, and it became a blockbuster hit.

Final Destination Made a Killer Debut: Box Office and a Cultural Splash

After years of discussion and creative clashes, the film finally arrived in 2000. As the franchise’s future was uncertain, it was made with a budget of $23 million. Things turned well for the film, and it ended up earning $112.88 million worldwide at the box office. The success opened the door for the sequel films, and Jeffrey Reddick was again contacted by New Line Cinema to work on the story of the second film.

Final Destination became one of the most talked-about films among the young audience, who praised it for not following in the footsteps of traditional slashers. The film also gave the viewers a plethora of reasons to build anxiety while doing their daily activities or stepping out of their homes.

The line, ‘no one can cheat death,’ added to the worldwide audience’s anxiety issues. Given that the film followed a unique concept about death and premonition, it’s no wonder it changed the game forever for the horror community.

Final Destination has blessed the industry with five movies so far, and the sixth one is on its way to freak the modern fandom out with its gritty and brutal premise.

Final Destination Bloodlines will be released in theatres on May 16, 2025.