With the tragic passing of Fast & Furious star Paul Walker in a car crash this past weekend, Universal has halted shooting for Fast & Furious 7, causing questions to arise over whether or not the film will be completed.
Director James Wan and Universal decided Sunday during a conference call to proceed with the film. However, sources say production for the film will be delayed to allow time for the cast to grieve. The screenplay may also need to be rewritten. The entire cast was scheduled to shoot scenes in Atlanta on Sunday morning, but filming is currently on hold and could resume as early as this week.
Walker, who played policeman Brian O’Conner in the franchise, already filmed most of his scenes for the upcoming film. Only a few more additional scenes were needed, including some that were going to be filmed in Abu Dhabi in January.
“All of us at Universal are heartbroken,” the studio said in a statement about the actor’s death. “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.”
The sequel was originally set to be released on July 11, 2014, but that date is likely to be pushed back.
