'Fast & Furious 7' To Be Delayed Following Paul Walker's Death
Credit: Getty Images
Sources within Universal have stated that while Fast & Furious 7 is facing a major delay following the tragic death of actor Paul Walker, the movie will not be scrapped altogether. Filming for Fast 7 had been on hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday, with both the cast and crew scheduled to return to Atlanta on Sunday to resume shooting. However, those plans are now on hold.
Details via The Hollywood Reporter:
Director James Wan and Universal executives held a conference call Sunday morning to discuss the state of the film, whether rewrites would be necessary and how to proceed in a manner that would be respectful to Walker's death. Walker, 40, was a favorite on the set of the Fast movies, and his death has left his fellow stars, including Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson, and the crew devastated.Fast 7, which was well underway shooting in Atlanta, was on hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday. Walker had returned to Southern California when the limited-edition Porsche he was a passenger in crashed Saturday afternoon in Valencia, bursting into flames. The driver has been identified as Roger Rodas, a well-respected financial adviser and the CEO of Walker's company Always Evolving (the duo met because of their shared passion for cars).
Walker was reprising his role as Brian O'Conner in Fast 7. The seventh film in the racing-centric action franchise is slated to hit theaters July 11. The film is on an expedited schedule in order to make that release date (Justin Lin, the director of previous installments, bowed out in part because he didn't want to work on the speedy timeline), so any delay in production could impact that release date. In addition, marketing Fast 7 could pose a challenge, considering Walker died in a crash of a flashy car similar to those used in the movies.
Sources close to the production say a large part of the film has already been shot, although additional location filming in Abu Dhabi had been scheduled for January with the principal cast members. It's unclear whether the existing footage of Walker will be used in the final film, or if the entire story will be altered in a way to write him out. Universal offered no official statement on the future of Fast 7, instead commenting only on the loss of the star to one of its biggest franchises.
"All of us at Universal are heartbroken," a studio spokesperson said in a statement released Saturday night after news of the actor's tragic death broke. "Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."
Such a terrible tragedy. I feel awful not just for Walker's family, but for his friends and castmates, who are clearly hurting as well. I'm not sure how Universal should proceed with the film. I really have no idea. What do you think the studio should do?