Fast & Furious 7 was originally scheduled for release on July 11. Following the tragic death of Paul Walker on Nov. 30, production of the film has been put on hold indefinitely, and the release date will likely be pushed back indefinitely as well.
Although Universal has not yet specified how much of Walker’s part was filmed prior to his death, a source at The Hollywood Reporter has said that the film was being shot out of sequence in order to help ease director James Wan (who’s most expensive film to date is The Conjuring) into the world of big budget blockbusters. According to the source, the conversation scenes were being shot first, and the logistically complicated action were being saved for the end of the shoot.
This likely means that Universal has a lot of footage of Paul Walker in conversation, and very little of Walker in the action scenes that separate the conversations.
Walker was scheduled to travel to Abu Dhabi in January to film the action sequence that opens the film.
The Hollywood Reporter also reports that the film’s future could be determined by Fireman’s Fund, Universal’s insurance company.
“There are two choices: to complete or abandon,”; says one insurance broker that The Hollywood Reporter spoke to, Brian Kingman of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. “Completion can be cheaper, and that’s probably what the insurance company would want done. My guess is, it’s going to cost a lot of money to hold the movie together, to put together creative options.”;
But another insurance broker that THR spoke to said that Fireman’s Fund may not be inclined to be so generous. “Insurance companies deal in cold, hard facts. Their job is to try to minimize any payout that they might have to make.”; According to this source, if the police determine that Walker’s vehicle was being driven recklessly, the insurance company could claim that Walker was in breach of the terms under which the production was insured, and sue Walker’s estate to recoup some of its costs.
