After halting production on Fast & Furious 7 following the tragic death of leading man Paul Walker back in November, Universal Pictures has now enlisted Walker’s brothers Caleb and Cody Walker to assist in completing some of the action shots and other scenes left incomplete. The news was announced on the film’s official Facebook page, with the following statement….
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.
Fast & Furious 7 is set for release on April 10th, 2015, with James Wan (The Conjuring) directing returning stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Lucas Black alongside Djimon Hounsou (Guardians of the Galaxy), Tony Jaa (Ong Bak), Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones) and Ronda Rousey (The Expendables 3).
