'Fast & Furious 7' To Go On Despite Paul Walker's Death

"Fast & Furious 7" has been given a green light to continue in the aftermath of the horrific crash that killed franchise star Paul Walker.

Universal executives and director James Wan made the decision in a conference call on Sunday morning, a day after the tragic accident that killed Walker and his friend, Roger Rodas, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Filming had been scheduled to resume on Sunday after the Thanksgiving break, the trade publication reported, but was suspended in the wake of the tragedy.

One of the film's producers, Neil H. Moritz, told a TMZ cameraman Sunday night at LAX that, "we're just going to grieve right now, we'll deal with (the specifics) later."

"All of us at Universal are heartbroken," a studio spokesperson said in a statement hours after Walker's death Saturday night. "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."

Since Walker did not complete all of his scenes, "Fast & Furious 7" will require some major rewrites. A source close to the production told TMZ that Walker had been scheduled to shoot several important scenes this week. Adding the suspension of shooting as the cast and crew mourns the loss of one of the most beloved members of the team, it may be unrealistic for it to make its July 11, 2014 release date

Even if the film races into theaters on time, there's the question

"It's going to be bittersweet for a lot of people to see Paul Walker on screen racing fast cars knowing he died in an automobile crash," says Paul Dergarabedian, box office analyst for Rentrak.

"But enough time is going to pass before the movie is released that I think moviegoers will be ready to see the movie and celebrate his life."

There are limited precedents to losing an above the marquee star in the midst of filming. After Brandon Lee -- son of martial arts legend Bruce Lee -- was fatally injured by a loaded gun on the set of "The Crow, " the 1994 supernatural action flick needed a body double to finish production.

And after Heath Ledger's died of a prescription drug overdose in Jan. 2008, "The Imaginarium of Doctor Paranaassus" director Terry Gilliam opted to complete his film using a trio of actors. Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law all played fantasy versions of Ledger's con artist in the film.




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