Fast and Furious fans have a reason to celebrate tonight, perhaps the first time they’ve been able to get excited about the franchise following the death of co-leading man Paul Walker in an automobile accident and the subsequent hold Universal placed on the film’s production. Vin Diesel took to Facebook today to celebrate the life of his friend, as well as to announce the release date for the seventh entry of the franchise: April 10, 2015. In relation to the picture above, Diesel said:
The last scene we filmed together…
There was a unique sense of completion, of pride we shared… in the film we were now completing… the magic captured… and, in just how far we’ve come…
Fast and Furious 7 will be released…
April 10th 2015!
P.s. He’d want you to know first…
Universal has since confirmed the news, adding that Walker will indeed be seen in Fast & Furious 7. There was some speculation that production would have to be restarted, with Walker’s part either recast or written out of the script, but it would appear that he completed enough of his scenes prior to his death that Universal Pictures, director James Wan, and writer Chris Morgan will be able to employ some combination of CGI, body doubles, and partial rewrites to complete the film with Walker’s character Brian O’Connor still present in part.
The release date will be nearly a year after the original target of this summer, but will certainly be greeted as welcome considering how unsure the future of the film, not to mention the franchise, has looked since Walker’s death.
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