At the time of Paul Walker’s November 2013 death, he was midway through filming Fast & Furious 7. Afterward, cast and crew decided to go forward with the film and vowed to “retire” his character in a dignified manner.
Today, Fast & Furious 7 producers announced they are achieving that by employing Paul’s brothers, Caleb Walker and Cody Walker, to fill in gaps.
From Universal Pictures…
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.
Based on photos of Caleb and Cody, they won’t have trouble passing for Paul in most shots. Here are the brothers during the 2005 premiere of Into the Blue…
Younger brother Cody shares a particularly strong resemblance to his late brother, as seen in this December 2013 picture…
Cody also shares Paul’s passion for helping others in need. He announced in January that he was assuming a leadership role with Reach Out Worldwide, the charity Paul created to help with disaster relief.
“As Paul would say, ‘When you put good will out there, it’s amazing what can be accomplished,'” Cody said when announcing his role. “We can all make a difference in this world and I am honored to join the ROWW team in fulfilling my brother’s legacy and ensure that the good my brother did lives on.”
Fast & Furious 7 will premiere on April 10, 2015.
