Universal Studios is hoping to still use footage shot with Paul Walker for Fast & Furious 7 instead of starting from scratch. Writer Chris Morgan is reportedly hard at work, trying to make the completed footage with Walker make sense in the final film.
According to sources for The Hollywood Reporter, the studio is hoping that Morgan can come up with a way to retire Walker’s character Brian O’Connor, using the footage director James Wan already made. If Morgan can do it, filming could start up again as early as next month.
The morning after Walker died on Nov. 30, Universal executives met to decided what to do next, although the meeting was mainly about supporting the cast, crew and Walker’s family. NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer then made sure to call everyone who knew Walker to offer condolences. Then, chairman Donna Langley and production co-president Jeffrey Kirschenbaum began trying to figure out what to do next with the Fast & Furious franchise.
A THR source said that the studio has already spent $150 million and the Fireman's Fund insurance firm would cover all that if the studio decided to scrap what has already been done. “Almost exactly half of his role was done,” one source said and another explained that Walker still have more work to do scheduled the week after his death.
Fast & Furious 7 was supposed to be out on July 11, but that is looking unlikely. Fox rescheduled its Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for that day. Universal already had two further Fast movies in development at the time of Walker’s death.
So do you think Universal should scrap what was completed or use the Walker footage?
image: Universal/image.net