Fast and Furious Paul Walker Dead: What Will Happen to Fast & Furious 7?
The shocking and tragic death of actor Paul Walker has left many "Fast and Furious" fans saddened and wondering what will happen with the next movie. Paul Walker, best known for his participation in the franchise as the evolving character of Bryan O'Conner, will leave a big gap in the story. "Fast & Furious 7" was currently being filmed and set to be hitting theaters on July 11th, when main character Paul Walker died in a fatal car crash on Saturday afternoon.
Ironically enough, Walker died as he rode at the passenger's seat of his Porche, a fancy car just like the ones he so famously raced in the "Fast and Furious" films. Roger Rodas, "a well-respected financial adviser and the CEO of Walker's company Always Evolving", was identified as the driver of the vehicle that killed Walker.
Rodas and Walker had met because of their shared passion for cars, becoming really good friends and business partners. Reports have confirmed that the accident occurred because of the speed in which the driver was going when he lost control and crashed into a tree. The fact that Walker lost his life in a car has "Fast and Furious" director James Wan unsure as to how to continue the story of the movie, while still respecting the memory of his dear friend and cast member.
"Fast 7" was filming in Atlanta and the actors were scheduled to return to the set on Sunday, after the Thanksgiving break. James Wan and Universal executives held a conference call Sunday morning instead, to discuss "whether rewrites would be necessary and how to proceed in a manner that would be respectful to Walker's death".
A large part of the film had already been shot with the last scenes being filmed in January, when Walker along with the rest of the "Fast 7" cast were scheduled to travel to Abu Dhabi. Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Tyrese Gibson are just some of Walker's cast members who have been devastated by this news. A video was posted online of a very distraught Tyrese crying in the middle of a quiet mob at the scene of Walker's accident.
Universal released a statement saying, "All of us at Universal are heartbroken...Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family".
Universal refused to comment on the future of "Fast and Furious 7". In 2008, Terry Gilliam, director of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" faced the same situation when actor Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming the movie. The production was suspended temporarily and later on; Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell, played "various versions of Ledger's character". Warner Bros. was marketing "The Dark Knight" at the time of Ledger's death, which caused them to "shy away" from presenting scenes of Ledger as the joker during the campaign. Good luck to Universal and James Wan in filming the rest of "Fast & Furious 7", whatever is decided we will always respect and remember the great actor who was Paul Walker.