Fast & Furious 7 Likely to Be Delayed Following Paul Walker's Death

Fast & Furious 7

was already on an "expedited schedule" in hopes of hitting its planned July 2014 release date, so the unexpected death of franchise star Paul Walker will likely result in the movie being delayed, The Hollywood Reporter says. Universal, who distributes the Fast & Furious films, have yet to comment on the delay but reportedly had a meeting to discuss the fate of the film this morning. Scrapping the movie altogether may or may not have been on the table, but that's not where they landed, according to the report. Director James Wan was reportedly involved with the discussion, which have at a minimum delayed by a few days getting back into production. Rewrites, reshoots and potentially casting somebody else could also have an impact; while obviously Walker will not be replaced as his character, it may be necessary to write him out and use another person altogether to fill a similar role. If Walker has to be removed entirely from the film, it will be the second time in seven movies that he hasn't been in a Fast & Furious film.