Production on 'Fast & Furious 7' Officially Shut Down

There was never going to be an easy way for Universal and Fast & Furious 7 producers to handle the loss of Paul Walker, an actor who was beloved on set and an integral part of the franchise. Over the last few days the studio has been weighing its options, with production on the film put on hold while they worked with director James Wan on a solution. Yesterday we learned those plans could include scrapping everything and starting the film over from scratch, and while nothing has been made final, Universal has decided to shut the whole thing down for the time being. Here's their official statement:

"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast & Furious family of cast, crew and filmmakers.   At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on Fast & Furious 7 for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise.  We are committed to keeping Fast & Furious fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it.  Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker. "

Speaking of things to be scrapped, you can probably throw that July 11th 2014 release date on the top of the trash heap.