Earlier this month it was reported that director James Wan and writer Chris Morgan had decided to "retire" Paul Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, in Fast and Furious 7. THR reported that the plan was to, retire the character, meaning have him make an exit from the group, rather than having him die in the film, and “tweak the script and add scenes so footage of the late actor's Brian O'Conner character can still be used -- but the franchise can continue.” IGN just spoke to Morgan about his upcoming series for FOX, Gang Related, and the writer said that no definitive decisions have been made yet. "I mean at this point, everyone took a break and we're having time to grieve," the writer said. "And now everyone is coming together, linking arms and trying to figure out what the best way forward is. And that's kind of the stage we're at right now. Everyone is motivated to make it something special and move forward in the right way." When we mentioned the report that a decision on how to move ahead had been made, Morgan replied, "I saw that and I wasn't quite sure where that was coming from. There's nothing set in stone at all. Those are the conversations we're just now having. Nothing's decided. Everything is still open and on the table." The tone of the Fast and Furious franchise is that of a light, adrenaline-pumping, wish-fulfillment/escapist fantasy. When asked if he had concerns about an audience's ability to connect to that, given the heartbreak surrounding Walker's death, Morgan said that they, "certainly have concerns, but that franchise is what that franchise is." Saying, "It's special because of those actors and those characters. All I can say is that we're just kind of huddled and we'll find the right way to move forward." Adding, "It is a crazy thing that I haven't seen in Hollywood before, and not to that level. To have to deal with a loss halfway through a movie like that. And such a great guy, it's really stunning." The writer, as so many of Walker's colleagues and friends have done, stressed what a legitimately good-natured and kind man the actor was. "It's horrifying, it's something no one ever expected," Morgan said. "Especially Paul. It's like, everyone comments on this because it's true: I don't know anybody else that after they pass only good stories come out. Name one bad one, there's none. Because the guy...I mean I would go to dinner with him and the wait staff would come over and he would engage in thirty minute conversations with them. I've seen actors do that before where they're being polite. He was not that way. He was genuinely engaged and laughing. I mean an incredible guy, an incredible guy." The Hollywood Reporter is a reliable source of information and Kurt Russell recently told Entertainment Weekly that he believed that production may start up again as soon as February or March. So, it's certainly possible that retiring Walker's character is an idea that is on the table, which certainly makes sense as a logical approach for how to handle painful circumstance. Walker was tragically killed in a car crash in November halting production on the last Fast film. Half of the film had been shot at the time of Walker’s demise. The release date for Fast and Furious 7 has been pushed to April 10, 2015. We will keep you updated as details emerge.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/03...aul-walkers-scenes-in-fast-7-will-involve-cgi Report Confirms Paul Walker's Scenes in Fast 7 Will Involve CGI Production resumes in April. A new report confirms that Paul Walker’s scenes in Fast & Furious 7 will involve CGI and voice effects, as well as body doubles of the late actor. According to The New York Daily News, “They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base,” an unnamed source has told them. The send-off for Walker’s character, detective Brian O’Connor, will be done using “Paul’s face and voice,” with the use of CGI, on top of the body doubles. [video=youtube;mxSEz11HJeA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxSEz11HJeA[/video] An earlier report indicated that Fast 7’s director James Wan, writer Chris Morgan, and Universal execs were rewriting the script to retire Walker’s character, rather than kill him off. Production went on a hiatus after Walker’s passing, and will resume in early April. Starring franchise leads Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Dwayne Johnson, with newcomers Jason Statham, Kurt Russell and Djimon Hounsou, Fast 7 hits theatres on April 10, 2015.
Starting to remind me of Game of Death, with Kim Tai-chung and Yuen Biao doubling as Bruce Lee. Um, that movie was a disaster...
