Universal Pictures and the producers of Fast & Furious 7 are still trying to figure out their next move following the shocking death of actor Paul Walker on Saturday. It’s now being reported that one option is scrapping the production and hitting the restart button. Meanwhile, other reports suggest that they have merely put the production on hold.
In the hours after his death, it was reported that Universal executives and director James Wan met to discuss the film’s future. They decided to only delay production, but did not cancel it outright.
The Associated Press reported Wednesday that production in Atlanta had been set to start this week, but production was already cancelled for Monday and Tuesday. Production began back in September and much of the footage is already shot, but the movie still isn’t finished, including scenes with Walker.
Meanwhile, a source told TheWrap that the studio could take the drastic measure of scrapping everything and starting over again. The studio is insured if there is a sudden loss of a castmember, so the cost of restarting the $200 million production isn’t a big concern. However, the drawback of starting over would be that a Fast film without Walker’s Brian O’Connor character. Another insider told the site that it may be up to two weeks before Universal makes a final decision.
The film is still scheduled for July 11, 2014.
The studio has expressed its condolences and Variety is reporting that part of the Fast 6 home video sales will go to the Reach Out Worldwide charity, which Walker supported.
The LA Coroner performed the autopsy on Tuesday, but the LA Times notes that results will not be out until today.
image: Universal/image.net