WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? 11th Hour favorites Glen Morgan and James Wong take a shot at injecting a little intelligence into the teen, slasher flick genre.

THE CAST

DEVON SAWA: Teen idol and star of Idle Hands stretches his dramatic muscles as Alex Browning, the boy whose vision changes the fates of those around him.

ALI LARTER: Probably best remembered for sporting a whipped cream bikini in Varsity Blues, Larter pulls a 180 in her portrayal of the withdrawn and introspective Clear Rivers.

KERR SMITH: In a complete departure from his role of Jack on Dawson's Creek, Smith brings to life Carter, the kind of guy who would kick Jack's ass due to his own repressed homosexual tendencies.

KRISTEN CLOKE: Having displayed a talent for portraying characters who have both strengths and vulnerabilities (Shane Vansen in Space: Above and Beyond and Lara Means in Millennium), Cloke imbibes teacher Valerie Lewton with a very human frailty in the face of adversity.

SEANN W. SCOTT: Scott's Billy is described as the class clown and although his antics and not Alex's prediction are the reason he doesn't go down with Flight 180, he is still marked for death.

THE CREW

JAMES WONG: After garnering an Emmy nomination for the Millennium episode "The Thin White Line", Wong turns his writing and directorial talents to the big screen.

GLEN MORGAN: Co-scribe and producer for this film, Morgan is best known for his and partner James Wong's work on The X-Files, Space: Above and Beyond, and Millennium.

CRAIG PERRY and WARREN ZIDE: They scored a hit with American Pie, but felt a desire for a more cerebral treatment with Final Destination and were thrilled to bring Morgan and Wong aboard.

OTHER

Final Destination is a New Line film.

THE PREMISE: During pre-flight preparation, Alex experiences a premonitory dream that the flight will end in a fiery crash. His wild, desperate attempts to get off the plane causes others to be thrown off with him. To everyone's horror, Alex's prediction proves true. Suffering from survivors' guilt, those who have been left behind find that Death will not accept defeat so easily.

GOSSIP and USELESS FACTS:

• The original script treatment purchased by New Line was penned by Jeffrey Reddick.
• Morgan and Wong shot the movie under the title Flight 180, but squirrels passing themselves off as studio execs overruled them and changed the title.
• Test audiences were very positive when quizzed after screenings, but had problems with the final scenes so an alternative ending will be shot and tested.

LINKS
Official Site