- Actor Tony Todd passed away in November 2024
- Director told him “say what you would want to say to the fans”
- Final Destination: Bloodlines is in theaters from 16 May
Final Destination: Bloodlines, the sixth installment in the popular supernatural horror franchise, hits theaters this weekend. While you can expect to flinch at the gruesome deaths and laugh at the absurdity, you might also find yourself unexpectedly moved by actor Tony Todd’s final scene.
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Todd, who plays the recurring role of mortician William Bludworth in the franchise, passed away in November 2024 at the age of 69 after a long illness. Bloodlines marks his final on-screen appearance.
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Speaking to Deadline, franchise producer Craig Perry opened up about what it was like filming the scenes, knowing it could be Todd’s last – and the poignant gesture offered to him by Bloodlines directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein.
Tony Todd in Final Destination: Bloodlines
Perry revealed that when developing the film they “all knew that he was obviously quite ill, and it was pretty clear that this was going to be the last role he would play in a movie,” he said.
Before Bloodlines, Todd who famously played the role of Candyman in 1992, had appeared in four of the five Final Destination films. His presence had become a staple of the franchise even if his screen time was often brief.
Todd’s enigmatic character has a mysterious connection to Death itself and a deep understanding of its design, which he shares with the survivors.
The producer added that “the fact that [his final work] was one of the Final Destination movies made it that much more poignant”.
Bloodlines finally reveals why the character knows so much about Death’s plan – a mystery that’s had fans theorizing for the past 25 years. The revelation comes in a poignant monologue delivered by Todd.
In the official trailer, Todd, as Bludworth, delivers a haunting “good luck” in his signature deep, resonant voice.
Todd’s fitting farewell
Directors Lipovsky and Stein chose to scrap the final lines of the script for Todd, giving him the chance to say something personal to the fans. And the result was something that producer Perry will “take with me until I go to the grave”.
Perry explained that the directors told Todd to “say what you would want to say to the fans. What would you like to impart to them in this moment?”
He added, “So, everything that makes that scene so emotional is authentic because that was just Tony talking through the camera to the very fans who supported him for so many years”.
Lipovsky told io9 in Los Angeles last week that “When we shot that scene that day, he was full of so much joy. It was just this electric feeling of seeing him do what he does so well”
The director added: “His own mortality was on his mind. And he just spoke about how precious life is and how to take advantage of it. That’s what he had shown us all day on set”.
You can catch Todd’s final appearance when Bloodlines hits theaters on 16 May.