Exclusives
Read the “X-Files” Script That Became ‘Final Destination’! (Exclusive)
One of our favorite genre shows is FOX’s “The X-Files,” while one of our favorite horror movies is New Line Cinema’s 2000 Final Destination.
What if the two were nearly one and the same?
We got in touch with Final Destination creator Jeffrey Reddick (@jeffreyareddick) who had a shocking never-before-seen relic to share exclusively with Bloody Disgusting readers.
Dated 1994, Reddick has made available (exclusive to Bloody Disgusting) the unused script for his “X-Files” pitch, ‘Flight 180.’
“It was really exciting to find it on an old floppy disc,” Reddick tells us. “I typed it in Word…since we didn’t have the luxury of Final Draft back then.
“It’s definitely fun to read…but I wrote it over 20 years ago, so I read some of it and cringed a little,” he added, explaining that as a screenwriter “You get better as you get older.”
‘Flight 180’ was written as a spec for an agent as “The X-Files” was Reddick’s favorite show at the time.
“I decided to use the basic concept of people cheating Death as the catalyst,” said Reddick, “But when you write a spec for a series, you want to follow the framework of the show and go deeper. So, I had Scully’s brother have the premonition, which made the story more personal. I won’t spoil the rest, but for the spec script, the concept isn’t front and center, it’s more about Scully, Mulder and her relationship with her brother.
“But when I decided to write it as a feature [Final Destination], I made the story all about the concept. And tweaked it.”
Reddick continues: “I think fans will be most interested in seeing how the kernel of the concept started in 1994. Death worked differently in this version. Since Mulder and Scully had the believer/skeptic relationship, I had to keep Death vague enough, but clear enough, to fit the concept and investigation into a one-hour show.
“But it’s interesting to see how this kernel evolved into the original draft of Flight 180 in 1997 – and finally the finished version of the 2000 Final Destination.”
While talking to Reddick, he revealed he’s been carrying some frustration for the past 15 years. Here, he clears the air about rumors that Final Destination was inspired by the real life crash of TWA Flight 800 in 1996.
“The biggest misconception about the original spec script is the one that has bothered me the most… When the movie came out in 2000, a lot of reviewers said the story was inspired by the real life crash of TWA Flight 800 in 1996. I got flack for that,” Reddick explained, “but I actually wrote this in 1994. I do think the director may have used news footage from the crash in the film, so that’s where that rumor came from.”
So, without further ado, here’s the spec script for ‘Flight 180’ (Reddick notes that this was never submitted to the show, but was expanded into a feature at the interest of New Line executive Mark Kaufman.)
Exclusives
“I Would Demand Warwick Davis Come Back”: Darren Bousman on the ‘Leprechaun’ Movie He Hopes to Make [Exclusive]
It should come as no surprise to horror fans that Spiral director Darren Bousman wants to tackle Lionsgate’s Leprechaun franchise. For years, the filmmaker behind Saws II-IV, Mother’s Day and Repo! The Genetic Opera has made it known that he wants to take the reins of the series concerning everyone’s favorite murderous Irish goblin. Bousman even tweeted once that his take on the property would see the titular character using a time machine to travel back to the Colorado Gold Rush.
During our recent interview for Larval Ink concerning his early screenplay The Desperate, Mr. Bousman again touched upon his desire to convince Lionsgate to give him the Leprechaun series.
“I would make a more direct sequel to the Leprechaun franchise,” he revealed. “I would not reboot it. I don’t want to do that. I would demand that Warwick Davis come back. I wouldn’t do it without him. The same way that, like, if there’s another Nightmare on Elm Street … that’s why I think the Jackie Earle Haley movie doesn’t work as well, because fans love [Robert Englund]. They love Warwick Davis, that’s what they want.”
Mr. Bousman also notes that he wouldn’t attempt a darker, grittier version of the character. Rather, he would tap into the wickedly playful tone of the original films. “I think that’s what’s so great about the Leprechaun films. They’re silly, they’re fun. They are violent, but it’s a pure popcorn movie. I would not try to change the tone. I would make it equally as batshit, bonkers crazy. It would be between the first film and Back 2 tha Hood. It would be somewhere in that tonal frame. It got really ridiculous as they went on, but that ridiculousness is what made them fun.”
Though Mr. Bousman has been pursuing the property for years, Lionsgate has yet to relent. With interest in his new Saw spinoff Spiral currently in the stratosphere with genre fans and mainstream audiences alike, one would imagine the company would be keen to let the filmmaker revive another one of their dormant properties. “I know, and it’s funny because I bring it up every time I’m on the phone with Lionsgate. I bring it up to them and I’m like, ‘Are you seriously still not gonna give me this franchise?’ I don’t know why, but they’re holding onto it. And I don’t understand why, because I think I can do something really crazy with it. Listen, maybe if Spiral is successful, I can sign a two-picture deal with them doing Leprechaun and The Desperate. So we’ll see.”
One horror nerd’s opinion here, but it’s high time for the Leprechaun series and its iconic villain to go theatrical again, and a filmmaker of Bousman’s caliber would only be a blessing for the pint-sized terror. Give the man the franchise already, Lionsgate, and I imagine he’ll hand you a pot of gold in return.

