In the wake of Paul Walker's sudden death, Universal struggled with how to complete production on Fast & Furious 7. Shutting down filming for a time, the idea of starting over was briefly considered, along with writing his character out of the movie entirely. But those things didn't quite jibe with a franchise that has a tighter cast than most. One of the early rumors was that Paul's brothers would fill in, mostly for behind-the-back shots and stuntwork, and some wrote those rumors off as unlikely. But it turns out they were true as Cody and Caleb Walker have officially joined the film. Here's the released statement:
"The FAST & FURIOUS saga is about family. The characters are connected by the bond of family, and it is how all of us who have worked together for more than thirteen years feel about each other. It certainly defines how we feel about our fans.
Our family experienced an unthinkable shock in November. We had to take time to grieve Paul, the brother we love and lost, and to figure out if we should move on with our film.
We came together and all felt the only choice was to continue. We believe our fans want that, and we believe Paul would want that too. Paul had already shot his dramatic scenes and most of his action for FAST & FURIOUS 7, and it's among the strongest work of his career.
We have resumed shooting and now welcome Paul's brothers, Caleb and Cody, into our FAST family. Caleb and Cody are helping us complete some remaining action for their brother and fill in small gaps left in production. Having them on set has made us all feel that Paul is with us too.
We are just under a year away from the release of FAST & FURIOUS 7, and this film is the most important we've ever done together. It will allow the character of Brian O'Conner to live on and let us celebrate Paul in his most defining role.
We wanted to take a moment to speak to our fans directly and thank you for the love and support you always show us as we resume our work."
The release date has been pushed back to April 10th 2015, giving new director James Wan time to figure out how to stamp Paul's head on Cody's body or something.
