Filming has resumed on Fast & Furious 7, after being on hiatus after the passing of star, Paul Walker, this past November. Its still not 100% clear how the producers plan on retiring his character, but we have news today that they will be getting some assistance from Walkers brothers, Cody and Caleb.
It seems that the brother would be stepping in to help out with wide shots and as body doubles to help finish his scenes in the film. I think this is a really good move on behalf of the producers as it shows respect to the Walker family that they didn’t just replace his character with some random person and instead chose to use his remaining family members.
Below is the official press release:
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A Note to the Fans of FAST & FURIOUS
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.
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As more news comes down on Fast & Furious 7, we’ll be sure to keep you posted here at DFAT.
The film also stars Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Kurt Russell, Djimon Hounson, Tyrese Gibson,Ludacris, Lucas Black, and Dwayne Johnson. Fast & Furious 7 opens April 10th, 2015.
~Chaz
