The cause of his death is still unknown at this point, but the director was found in his hotel room in Johannesburg, South Africa. He was in pre-production on a remake of "Kite", a 1998 Japanese anime, that was to star Samuel L. Jackson.
Before his career as a director, Ellis worked as a stunt man on films such as "Smokey and the Bandit," "Scarface," "Lethal Weapon," and "Fatal Attraction." His big break came with directing the second and fourth "Final Destination" franchise films.