Skip to main content

Production on ‘Fast and Furious 7’ may completely start over

Producers of the film Fast & Furious 7 are reportedly considering putting a halt to production on the film entirely and restarting from scratch, according to insiders speaking to The Wrap. A final decision hasn’t been made yet, but the film is insured and a valid claim can be made given the events of the past week, so cost would not be an issue.

Production was put on indefinite hold following the death of actor Paul Walker, who appeared in six of the seven Fast and Furious productions. More than half of the film is reportedly completed and Walker himself finished an unspecified amount of principal photography. He was scheduled to head to Abu Dhabi in January for further filming though. 

Recommended Videos

The studio and producers have yet to make a decision, and one may not be coming for weeks yet, but completely scrapping the film and starting over is one option that’s been gaining strength. Walker’s character Brian O’Conner is integral to the series, so simply writing him out halfway may not be possible. Universal is also said to be keenly aware of the possible fan backlash if it tried to simply remove the character from the existing script.

The producers have discussed using special effects to put Walker’s face on another actor’s body, using a technique similar to what director Ridley Scott employed during the filming of Gladiator, following actor Oliver Reed’s death. In that instance though, Reed played a supporting character, and the filmmakers were able to quickly rewrite the script to reflect the character’s death.

It may be more difficult and ultimately costly to try to force Walker’s existing footage into the film rather than just start over. A new script may be commissioned, and production would begin from scratch if that were to happen. In that event, the character of O’Conner would still appear in the film, but in a lesser degree. It isn’t clear if that would mean working in the existing footage or using a double.

Universal continues to see a long term future for the franchise following a combined worldwide take of roughly $1.5 billion for the fifth and sixth movies. The studio is still holding out hope that Fast & Furious 7 can make its July 11, 2014 release date. That will be difficult using the existing footage, but starting over would almost certainly force a delay.

Ryan Fleming
Former Gaming/Movies Editor
Ryan Fleming is the Gaming and Cinema Editor for Digital Trends. He joined the DT staff in 2009 after spending time covering…
3 new PlayStation Plus games to play this weekend (July 4-6)
Lilith staring into the camera in Diablo 4. She has giant horns and red wings behind her.

We have a double-whammy of a weekend to look forward to as PlayStation Plus subscribers. Not only do we have an extra-long weekend for the Fourth of July, but this month also marks the 15-year anniversary of PlayStation Plus. As such, Sony is hitting us with a particularly strong lineup of games at the Essential tier. Now, don't get your hopes up and expect all the best PS5 games to be on offer, but the selection is still very strong and offers something different to suit your tastes. We have one of the most popular action RPGs, a strong fighting game, and an artistic indie that you might have missed when it first came out. If you're looking for something new to play this weekend, I've got you covered.

Diablo 4

Read more
3 new Game Pass games to play this weekend (July 4-6)
mono and six together.

Those of us in America have a nice, long weekend to kick off July thanks to the 4th of July holiday. While some of us may have plans for barbeques and fireworks watching in the evening, there's still loads of time to spare playing some awesome Xbox games. As luck would have it, Game Pass just added a ton of new additions to the service this week that are perfect for the extended weekend. We do have to wait until next week for the first major day one release, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 + 4, but there are still some great options to check out before that. I've included a fun party game for anyone hosting an event, a game with a short but powerful runtime, and a classic RPG to get lost in. Let's check them all out.

Ultimate Chicken Horse

Read more
After a month with the Switch 2, I can’t fully recommend Nintendo’s new console
A Nintendo Switch 2 playing Mario Kart World appears on a table.

We're still firmly in the honeymoon period with the Switch 2 right now. Most of us are still exploring Mario Kart World's open world for secrets or wondering if Welcome Tour was worth the $10 price tag. With Donkey Kong Bananza arriving just in time to beef up the exclusive catalogue with a new 3D platformer, I found myself conflicted with my time with the console so far. I don't mean personally; I am in love with this piece of tech. What is trickier is when others ask me whether or not I think they should pick one up.

One month into the system's life, there's a lot to love already, but not without some caveats. Consoles only get more enticing as they age, so adopting one early essentially means you're investing at its least appealing time. There are plenty of people I would recommend a Switch 2 with no conditions, but I would say the majority of gamers are better off waiting.

Read more