Paul Walker’s Brothers Helping Finish Fast & Furious 7

Photo: Universal Pictures

Back in March a rumor circulated that the production of Fast & Furious 7would use body doubles and facial replacement to fill in gaps in the action due to the unfortunate death of star Paul Walker. This wasn’t really all that newsworthy given facial replacement is used a lot in Hollywood, but today Universal has officially confirmed the news while adding information that it’s Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, that have joined the production to help out.

Here’s the official statement from the studio’s Facebook page:

“The FAST & FURIOUS saga is about family. The characters are connected by the bond of family, and it is how all of us who have worked together for more than thirteen years feel about each other. It certainly defines how we feel about our fans.

Our family experienced an unthinkable shock in November. We had to take time to grieve Paul, the brother we love and lost, and to figure out if we should move on with our film.

We came together and all felt the only choice was to continue. We believe our fans want that, and we believe Paul would want that too. Paul had already shot his dramatic scenes and most of his action for FAST & FURIOUS 7, and it’s among the strongest work of his career.

We have resumed shooting and now welcome Paul’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, into our FAST family. Caleb and Cody are helping us complete some remaining action for their brother and fill in small gaps left in production. Having them on set has made us all feel that Paul is with us too.

We are just under a year away from the release of FAST & FURIOUS 7, and this film is the most important we’ve ever done together. It will allow the character of Brian O’Conner to live on and let us celebrate Paul in his most defining role.

We wanted to take a moment to speak to our fans directly and thank you for the love and support you always show us as we resume our work.”

Cody Walker, a stuntman, was first mentioned as possibly getting involved back in December 2013 and for comparison’s sake you can see a picture of the three brothers here.

Fast & Furious 7 is set to hit theaters on April 10, 2015, directed byJames Wan and starring Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson,Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, Sung Kang, Kurt Russell, Jason Statham, Djimon Hounsou, Ronda Rousey andLucas Black.

credit: geektyrant.com

‘Fast & Furious 7’ to Resume Production in April

After the tragic, horribly ironic death of Paul Walker in a car crash in November of last year, the fate of Universal’s “Fast and Furious” franchise, which has become one of the studio’s most dependable and profitable properties, was very much up in the air.

At the time of Walker’s death, the movie was only halfway done with filming, and had a summer 2014 release date looming. Universal decided to finish the movie with director James Wan and the original cast, and shifted the release date from summer 2014 to April 10, 2015. Now The Hollywood Reporter says that the production will resume shooting this April. The wheels have started spinning again.

The sequel, which follows last year’s tremendous “Furious 6,” includes original cast members Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Ludacris, and Michelle Rodriguez, plus new cast members like Jason Statham, Kurt Russell (!), Tony Jaa, and Djimon Hounsou. Most interestingly is the fact that Lucas Black, who starred in the “Fast and Furious” one-off “Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift,” will be reintegrated into the franchise. (I love how labyrinthine the “Fast and Furious” “mythology” has become.) Plans are still for the movie to “retire” Walker’s character instead of kill him. It’s very clear that Wan and writer Chris Morgan have been working since Walker’s death on just how to sort this all out and have it make any sense in the context of the movie.

It’s unclear what other plot deviations are in store. When the movie resumes production, it will be in Atlanta (there was some time scheduled for Dubai and other exotic locations). Hopefully, Wan will be able to bring his muscle car vision to the big screen with appropriate weight and sensitivity, given the situation. Either way: can’t wait. Glad that the production is back on track and we can look forward to a new installment in the franchise in a little over a year. Vroom on!

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