In wake of actor Paul Walker’s untimely death, the road to completion for The Fast and Furious 7 will definitely be a complicated one. After a brief hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday, Walker, and the rest of the ‘Fast and Furious’ cast and film crew had been initially scheduled to return to Atlanta so filming could resume Sunday, Dec. 1.
It was also stated that this upcoming week was supposed to be quite vital for Walker’s recurring character, as a number of critical scenes were to be filmed this week. However, all of the previously scheduled production dates are no longer substantial, as the film’s cast and crew will now be going on yet another hiatus indefinitely due to the devastating loss.
On Sunday morning, Universal executives, along with the Fast and Furious director, James Wan, held a conference call to discuss the directional changes for the film.
According to E! News , the conference call was conducted to start the preliminary discussion of whether rewrites would be essential. Directional changes were also discussed, as tailored changes will need to be made in a manner that will be respectful, where Walker’s character is concerned, in light of his death.
Walker was reprising his ever-popular role as Brian O’Conner for Fast and Furious 7 . The film is currently set on an expedited schedule to make the tentative release date of July 11, 2014. Therefore, a delay of any caliber could cause the release date to be pushed back. Another daunting factor is the marketing and promotion aspects of the film.
Given the nature of Walker’s sudden death, which can be closely associated with the storyline and concept of the film, it may be rather difficult to promote the likes of ‘fast cars, racing and street driving’. So, there’s a lot of internal aspects to be considered where the new film is concerned. Universal representatives have not yet released an official statement in regards to the future of the film.
