Paul-Walker-and-Vin-Diesel-in-Fast-and-Furious-6The Fast & Furious saga was dealt an unimaginable blow at the end of last year, when leading man Paul Walker died in a tragic car accident. Production on the upcoming Fast & Furious 7 was halted, giving the cast and crew time to grieve for their lost family member, and to make a decision as to what to do with the incomplete film.

It was soon decided that the franchise would continue, using the footage that Walker had already shot for the seventh movie, and production started up again earlier this month.

The way in which the film would continue was still unknown when it did, but now the franchise’s Facebook has revealed that Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, are stepping in to help complete the rest of the film in his place.

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.

The note goes on to describe the film as the most important they’ve ever done together, and that it will “allow the character of Brian O’Conner to live on and let us celebrate Paul in his most defining role.” Whilst the wording is of course not entirely clear, and certainly it’s to be taken with a pinch of salt, it would suggest that they won’t be killing the character off to exclude him from future sequels, but could well be giving O’Conner an exit to be with Mia (Jordana Brewster) and their son. Family, after all, is the most important thing in this franchise, and you can see Dom (Vin Diesel) wanting to give his sister a chance to set up her family free from the kind of lives they lead.

Walker and Vin Diesel of course lead the cast for the former’s final entry in the series, with Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Lucas Black, and Jason Statham all reprising their roles from previous films, alongside Kurt Russell, Tony Jaa, Ronda Rousey, Nathalie Emmanuel, Djimon Hounsou, Michael Jai White, John Brotherton, and Ali Fazal.

James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring) is at the helm this time around, with Chris Morgan once more penning the script.

Fast & Furious 7 will now be released in cinemas on April 10th in the US and UK.

 

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.