Saturday, 4 January 2014

Revealed: Paul Walker's Fast & Furious 7 character 'will retire and not be killed off' as producers intend to carry on with franchise

When Paul Walker died in a car crash on November 30, he was only halfway through shooting his film The Fast & Furious 7.
For several weeks producers didn't know what to do with his character Brian O'Connor who is an integral part of the money-making franchise.
On Friday The Hollywood Reporter claimed a consensus has been reached: Paul's iconic undercover cop will 'retire' and not be killed off, when the movie premieres on April 10, 2015.
A solution: Paul Walker, seen here in The Fast & Furious 5 with co-star Vin Diesel, died halfway through filming of the seventh installment of the franchise; now producers have decided what to do with his character, per a Friday report from The Hollywood Reporter
A solution: Paul Walker, seen here in The Fast & Furious 5 with co-star Vin Diesel, died halfway through filming of the seventh installment of the franchise; now producers have decided what to do with his character, per a Friday report from The Hollywood Reporter

'The plan is to "retire" the character in a way that the studio hopes will satisfy fans of the franchise and make use of the existing footage of Walker,' the Reporter wrote.

'In the weeks after the tragedy, director James Wan, writer Chris Morgan, and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Universal's lead executive on the Fast films, pored over the footage Wan had shot.
'Then trio then devised a plan to tweak the existing script so that Walker would remain a part of the story but could be written out, allowing the franchise to continue without him.'
Final scene: Vin Diesel posts a picture of the last scene he filmed with Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 7
Final scene: Vin Diesel posts a picture of the last scene he filmed with Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 7

The Reporter's Matthew Belloni added: 'The changes will require some additional scenes to be written and shot, but the eight-month delay of release provides plenty of time.'
The movie's studio Universal would not comment on The Reporter's story.

MailOnline exclusively reported on December 13 Paul's younger brother Cody, 25, a stunt man, has been asked to step in to shoot some scenes for the film.
Final scenes: Jordana Brewster starred alongside Paul, who died tragically on November 30 in Valencia, California
Final scenes: Jordana Brewster starred alongside Paul, who died tragically on November 30 in Valencia, California
Following Paul's death, Universal Pictures announced it was their 'duty' to shut down production - adding they were 'dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast & Furious family of cast, crew, and filmmakers.'
A source close to production said: 'Producers had a string of meetings right after Paul's death.
'They soon realized they needed someone who looked like Paul to finish the movie and that's when they approached his nearly identical brother, Cody. They can shoot Cody from behind and at distance and if it's a shot they need Paul's face in close up they can CGI it later on.
Brotherly love: Paul Walker and his youngest brother Cody, 25, give a toast at their brother Caleb's wedding to Stephanie Branch in October
Brotherly love: Paul's youngest brother Cody, 25, may step in and shoot additional scenes for The Fast & Furious 7
'If Cody agrees it's because he wants to honor his brother's memory. There are many details that still need to be worked out, but right now the family and cast and crew are all still grieving.'
The release date of the film was announced by Paul's co-star Vin Diesel just on Facebook before Christmas.
'The last scene we filmed together. There was a unique sense of completion, of pride we shared … in the film we were now completing… the magic captured … and, in just how far we've come…Fast and Furious 7 will be released…April 10th 2015!
The end: Paul's character will retire in the seventh installment of the film; here he is in the sixth F&F with Jordana
The end: Paul's character will retire in the seventh installment of the film; here he is in the sixth F&F with Jordana


'P.s. He'd want you to know first,' he added.
The star also posted the last scene he and Paul filmed together for Fast & Furious 7.
Fast & Furious was originally scheduled for release in July of 2014, but production was stopped after Paul's death.
The 40-year-old actor was killed November 30 in a car crash after his friend, Roger Rodas, lost control of a Porsche GT which smashed into a pole and a tree in Valencia, California.
According to the Associated Press, investigators are now focusing on the car's speed at the time of the crash.  
‘We're looking at speed and speed alone,’ a law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
The AP report also said that investigators have found no evidence that the Porsche carrying the actor had mechanical problems before it crashed, killing the Fast & Furious star.
The report added that the investigation also has ruled out debris or other roadway conditions as causing the car to slam into a light pole and tree.
No clear cause: The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing
No clear cause: The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing

However, according to CNN, authorities haven't ruled anything out and no cause has been determined yet.
'Investigators from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department will meet with engineers from Porsche next month to analyze the data retrieval system, the department said.
'That system could shed light on the car's speed, throttle opening, air bag deployment, seat belt use and possibly other information from the time of the crash.'
The car, a 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, is notoriously hard to handle.
Star cast: Dwanye Johnson, Vin and Paul in a scene from Fast & Furious 6
Star cast: Dwanye Johnson, Vin and Paul in a scene from Fast & Furious 6

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