The action film series based on illegal
street racing and heists is back. “Fast and Furious 7” is scheduled to appear
on the big screen April 10, 2015. The popular franchise will continue its
seventh installment despite Paul Walker’s death. It appears that Director James
Wan and screenwriter Chris Morgan found a way to respectfully dismiss Walker’s
character from the “Fast” franchise using scenes already shot.
Walker was killed in a car crash November
30, 2013 in Santa Clarita, California. The vehicle he was riding in crashed into
a tree and a light pole, causing the vehicle to burst into flames. The driver
of the vehicle, Walker’s friend and financial adviser, also passed away. Prior
to the car accident, the two men had just left a car show for Walker’s charity
foundation called Reach Out Worldwide. The event was designed to assist and support
victims of Typhoon Haiyan.
The news of Walker’s death escalated
quickly via different social media. Fans of the franchise began to question the
seventh and future installments. Several days after the tragedy, Universal Studios
stopped production to decide the fate of the “Fast” franchise. According to The
Hollywood Reporter (THR), almost half of Walker’s footage was done when he died
and $150 million was spent on production. Starting a new script was an option,
but executives chose to retrieve footage already shot. The Epoch Times also discussed
the possibility of Walker’s younger brother Cody Walker taking over his role in
the seventh installment.
Walker played Brian O’Conner, an
undercover cop who later joins forces with a ring of car thieves. According to
THR, O’Conner will appear in the seventh installment, which means some elements
of the script will change in order to accommodate him in the story. Eventually,
Universal Studios will take O’Conner out of the story without killing his
character off or removing him completely. It is still unclear how this will be
done, but a release date has been set and that could only mean one thing – Wan
and Morgan have already decided the fate of the “Fast” franchise.
My brother Enrique Astudillo has been a “Fast
and Furious” fan from the start. He is thrilled about the seventh installment.
“I want to know what happens with the rest of the story. The sixth movie left
me wanting more,” he said. Although Walker’s character will be removed from the
story, Astudillo remains positive. “I believe the film will focus less on Paul
Walker’s death. The director and screenwriter will find a way to create an
action-packed film rather than a sad film plot,” he said.
I asked my roommate Ashish Suntosh about
his view on the “Fast and Furious” franchise and he was not as positive as
Astudillo. “Universal Studios should start over and change Paul Walker’s
character to another actor or just not make the movie at all,” he said. Suntosh
does not like the idea that Walker will still appear in the seventh installment
even after his death. “I think people who watch the film will be disappointed
in so many ways because one of the main characters will either be replaced or
killed in the story,” he said. However, Suntosh is unaware that killing
Walker’s character is not an option.
“Fast
and Furious” fans will have to wait a little over a year to see how the seventh
installment goes. I am so glad the film is set to debut later rather than
sooner.
Sources
Enrique
Astudillo luis.astudillo@email.wsu.edu
Ashish Suntosh ashish.suntosh@email.wsu.edu
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