Final Destination 3 very much stuck to the formula that had proven successful in the other two Final Destination movies, but the original ending would have offered a game-changing twist. The third movie in the Final Destination franchise continued the idea of a protagonist having a vision of a disaster (a roller-coaster accident in this case), saving herself and others from certain death, only for Death to target them to ensure it is never cheated.
Final Destination 3 was also the first movie in the horror franchise to not feature any of the survivors from the previous movie, as Final Destination 2 saw the return of Clear Rivers (Ali Larter), the sole survivor of the first movie. As it turns out, there were originally plans to include a similar bit of casting that would have been a nice surprise for fans in the final scene while also hammering home just how determined death is to claim every life that escapes its grasp.
Final Destination 3 Was Going To Connect To Final Destination 2
Previous Final Destination Survivors Were Going To Get Some Deadly Cameos
While Final Destination: Bloodlines connects the franchise in some interesting ways, Final Destination 3’s original ending nearly connected to Final Destination 2 with cameos from Kimberly (AJ Cook) and Officer Burke (Michael Landes). Final Destination 3 concludes with Wendy (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Julie (Amanda Crew), and Kevin (Ryan Merriman) having seemingly beaten Death’s design only to randomly bump into each other months later on a subway, where they are presumably all killed when the train derails.
While they were unable to pull off the exciting twist in Final Destination 3, Perry reveals that they knew it was a thrilling idea for the franchise that could and would be used in the future.
According to producer Craig Perry, the idea was originally to have Kimberly and Burke revealed to be on the train as well, where death would finally catch up to them. The two characters survived the famous log truck accident in Final Destination 2 and ended up being the only ones left alive at the end of the movie, as they seemingly defeated Death for good. Final Destination 3 sought to shock fans with their deaths, cementing just how hard it is to cheat Death in these movies. Perry recalls (via Digital Spy):
“They were going to die to tie the whole thing up to Final Destination 2. I loved the idea and we had it scripted and were going to try it. We were able to get one of the two actors who were available, but the other one wasn’t. If we couldn’t do it all the way, we decided it was best not to do it. To have just one of them leaves an open ending which would make no sense in Death’s overarching plan.”
While they were unable to pull off the exciting twist in Final Destination 3, Perry reveals that they knew it was a thrilling idea for the franchise that could and would be used in the future:
We pocketed it because we knew that there was a really interesting idea about the cause and effect in the world of Final Destination, and then it managed to perfectly land in Final Destination 5.
Final Destination Was Right To Leave This Kind Of Twist Until Part 5
Final Destination 5 Delivered The Franchise’s Biggest Twist
Kimberly and Burke’s fate in the Final Destination franchise remains a bit of a mystery that Final Destination 3’s original ending could have cleared up. However, that question is worth leaving unanswered, as the eventual use of this twist ending in Final Destination 5 was a much more impactful way of connecting the movies while also making it well worth the wait for the payoff.
It is an ending that has gone down as the greatest twist in the franchise and has led to many fans naming the fifth movie the best Final Destination movie.
Final Destination 5 ends with survivors Sam (Nicholas D’Agosto) and Molly (Emma Bell) seemingly escaping Death and ready to start a new life in Paris, only for it to be revealed they are on the same flight from the first Final Destination movie, which explodes shortly after takeoff. It is an ending that has gone down as the greatest twist in the franchise and has led to many fans naming the fifth movie the best Final Destination movie. The impact of the ending also proves that the franchise was lucky to avoid wasting such a fun twist in the third movie.
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While the reveal of Kimberly and Burke at the end of Final Destination 3 would have been a fun surprise, it never could have had the same impact as Final Destination 5’s twist. To have the fifth movie suddenly go back to the first movie is a much bigger shock than a connection between the second and third movies.
There is also the added thrill of realizing that we had been watching a prequel the entire time. Also, while it might have taken fans a moment to remember Kimberly and Burke at the end of Final Destination 3, the sight of Alex (Devon Sawa) on the plane with Sam and Molly instantly makes it clear what is about to happen. The Final Destination movies have found a lot of success with the proven formula, but Final Destination 5 proved that it is a franchise that can still excite audiences with something completely unexpected.
