Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025) star Tony Todd improvised his character’s emotional final goodbye to the franchise.
The Candyman (1992) actor, who died in November 2024 aged 69 had played the mysterious mortician William Bludworth in the Final Destination franchise since the original 2000 film.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Final Destination: Bloodlines
His character returned posthumously in this latest 2025 instalment to provide advice about cheating death - the primary antagonist for the series in which characters often die in elaborate accidents.
In his poignant final scene in Bloodlines, Todd’s character reveals that he is sick and will be retiring to make the most of his remaining days before death comes for him.
“I intend to enjoy the time I have left. And I suggest you do the same,” he says in the film. “Life is precious. Enjoy every single second. You never know when...Good luck.”
The moving last words came from Todd himself, rather than the script. Knowing that Todd was ill, the directors encouraged him to ignore what was on the page and use his own voice instead to share his thoughts about the meaning of life.
In doing so directors Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein imbued the words with an emotional second meaning, giving Todd a platform to say goodbye.
Stein told USA Today: “We asked Tony to put aside the script and just speak from the heart about what all this is about. What is life about? What is death about? What do you want the fans to come away with when they watch Final Destination? And the take that's in the film is him speaking from the heart, speaking right to the fans.”
Lipovsky explained that everyone knew that this was going to be his last Final Destination movie, and potentially his last movie ever. “We had a lot of conversations about how to do that in a way that felt like a really beautiful goodbye to such an icon, and give him the opportunity, in some ways, to say goodbye to the audience as well.”
Although he was “physically weak”, Todd was “incredibly excited to participate” in the film and insisted on being included. “He was like, ‘Do not write me out of this movie’” said Stein.
Despite Todd’s poor health, Stein recalled that he was “joyful” on set and was eager to meet the actors playing his younger self and his mum.
Lipovsky hoped that Todd’s farewell would be cathartic for fans mourning the loss of the horror icon. “Anyone who's been feeling grief around the loss of him as an artist will feel, potentially, some closure and some connection with him in that moment, because it was really him bringing it to the screen,” he said.
Todd’s final scene also answered one of the series’ biggest mysteries - who exactly is Bludworth? The latest instalment revealed that Bludworth is an expert on the subject of death because he once cheated death himself.
Todd was “really excited” to explain Bludworth's origin “in a way that made him more of a whole person, rather than just being a mysterious mentor figure,” said Stein.
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