Michiel Blanchart Eyed As The Final Destination 7 Director

Final Destination 7 has found a new director for the next entry in the horror franchise. The most recent film, Final Destination: Bloodlines, was co-directed by Zach Lipovsky and Adam Stein, but they opted not to continue with the New Line Cinema franchise that has grossed more than $1 billion across its previous six movies.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, that person is Belgian filmmaker Michiel Blanchart, who emerged as the top choice after what was described as a “brief but intense search.” Final Destination 7 will serve as Blanchart’s English-language debut.

Following Final Destination: Bloodlines‘ $286 million worldwide gross at the box office and the best reviews of the franchise, Final Destination 7 was confirmed in August. While Lipovsky and Stein are not returning, Bloodlines co-writer Lori Evans Taylor is returning to write the script for the next movie. The producing team is also returning, led by Toby Emmerich, Dianne McGunigle, Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, and Jon Watts.

There is no release date for Final Destination 7 at this time, nor do we have any details on the movie’s plot. No cast info is available either, though franchise stalwart Tony Todd will unfortunately not be able to reprise his role as William Bludworth, as Todd passed away in 2024.

Who Is Michiel Blanchart?

Blanchart has one feature film directing credit to date, 2024’s Night Call, a French-language action thriller. The movie received strong notices from critics, with it earning an 82% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It also won 10 awards out of 11 nominations at the Magritte Awards – Belgium’s version of the Oscars – including Best Film, with Blanchart taking the Best Director and Best Script prizes.

Blanchart has also directed a number of short films. That includes You’re Dead, Hélène, which made the shortlist of potential nominees for the Oscars Best Live-Action Short Film category in 2023.

Final Destination Franchise Director History

Blanchart is set to become the fifth director to helm a Final Destination movie. Others that have been behind the camera for the horror franchise include James Wong, David R. Ellis, Steven Quale, and the aforementioned duo of Lipovsky and Stein.

Interestingly, no director has overseen consecutive Final Destination films. Wong directed the first Final Destination in 2000, but Ellis took over for Final Destination 2 in 2003. The pair would swap again for Final Destination 3 (2006) and The Final Destination (2009), before Quale directed Final Destination 5 in 2011, followed by Lipovsky and Stein for 2025’s Final Destination: Bloodlines.