fifth installment of the Final Destination franchise, Wendy appears through archive footage. Literature Wendy appears in the novelization of Final Destination 3 by Christa Faust. The storyline follows the same one as the film but in the novel Wendy survives. In the novel, Wendy's relationship with Kevin, opposite to the film, turns sexual, when they are in the gym where Lewis Romero dies. Casting and creation In a DVD feature, James Wong revealed that he originally intended for Wendy to be a "perky blonde" and that Alexis Bledel had auditioned for the role. Winstead, who got cast in March 2005, had previously auditioned for the second film, won the role because she brought emotion and character that impressed Wong and Morgan. When asked if she was a fan of the Final Destination franchise prior to being cast in the third film, Winstead mentioned auditioning for the second film saying, "Definitely. I was a fan of both films. I auditioned for the second one, but didn’t make it. I was happy to get a shot here". Wong described Wendy as being "deeply affected by the accident, but she’s strong, and fights to maintain control." Reception Wendy has received a positive reception from critics. Winstead's performance was met with generally positive reception among critics. James Berardinelli says she "does as competent a job as one could expect in these dire circumstances." Felix Gonzalez, Jr. speaks positively of Winstead's and Merriman's performances, saying "the film is not entirely unwatchable. Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Ryan Merriman are likeable in the lead roles." Frank Ochieng also calls Winstead a "passable leading lass" and TheDailyMacabre even goes on to say, "Winstead is a stronger lead than A. J. Cook". Common Sense Media reacted positively to the character, saying that despite the movie not asking viewers to invest emotionally in the characters "you do invest, if only because of formula, in Wendy, who tries so hard to save her classmates." Louis B. Hobson however criticizes her and Merriman's performances, saying "Merriman and Winstead have basically two emotions. They're either grieving or terrified." Waffle Movies adds "the performance is too much", likening her performance to "the person who shows up to a Halloween costume party wearing a formal evening gown." See also Final girl References Fictional characters from Pennsylvania Fictional characters with precognition Film characters introduced in 2006 Final Destination characters Final girls Teenage characters in film