'Fast and Furious 7' Paul Walker Death: Character to Gracefully Exit Franchise, 'Fast and Furious 8' on the Way?
After the death of Paul Walker last year, production on "Fast and Furious 7" went through a lot of difficult times as the cast and crew had to deal with rewrites, delays, and on top of all that, they had to rethink how they could possibly continue filming without him— all while they grieved for the actor.
However, though it was a long and harrowing road for them, production finally wrapped up on July 10, and this was announced through a statement from Universal. The statement was posted on the official "Fast and Furious 7" Facebook page, and it garnered more than 120,000 likes in a matter of hours. The open letter to the fans was accompanied by a shot of a subdued looking Vin Diesel.
"We made it. Today we completed the last shot in the production of FAST & FURIOUS 7," the statement started.
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"We wanted to take this moment to express how thankful we are for your support …There was a time when we didn't' know how we could go on, or even if we should. But we listened to you, and you inspired us not only to keep going but to try and make the best FAST & FURIOUS movie yet," it continued.
Walker's demise seems to have put the franchise's future in limbo, as fans have no idea how the next films will go on without the actor. But according to The Hollywood Reporter, director James Wan and writer Chris Morgan tweaked the script in such a way that they can use the footage of Walker that they've already shot while creating a send-off for his character, Brian, that would still allow the franchise to continue.
It was indeed a trying time for the "Fast and Furious" family as Vin Diesel, their designated leader, was reportedly instrumental in getting everybody back on track to push through with filming, which was no easy task for the actor as he was very close with Walker. The late actor's brothers, Caleb and Cody, also helped the "Fast and Furious" team by standing in for Walker for some action scenes.
"Fast and Furious 7" will see the return of Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Dwayne Johnson, Gina Carano, Gal Gadot, Elsa Pataky, and the late Paul Walker. Kurt Russell and Ronda Rousey will also be featured in the film.
"Fast and Furious 7" will premiere on April 3, 2015.
