Fast and Furious 7 has a new release date after the tragic death of Paul Walker.
His former co-star, Vin Diesel, announced on his Facebook page that the film would be released on April 10, 2015.
Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto in the films, posted on his page on Monday evening, saying: “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… “.Walker’s tragic death in a motoring accident last month threw the future of the film into jeopardy, and there was speculation that the project would be totally cancelled.
Australian director James Wan (co-creator of the Saw franchise) will remain in charge of the project, with rumours that Walker’s brother, Cody, will reprise the role of Brian O’Conner for scenes that were yet to be completed.
If that were to be the case, the existing footage of Paul Walker would be used in conjunction with shots from a distance of his brother, using CGI effects when close-ups were required.
This has yet to be confirmed by anybody associated with the film, as Universal Studios said they were assessing "all options available to move forward with the franchise”.
Diesel and Walker were the two leads on the first instalment in the franchise, The Fast and the Furious, in 2001. Since then they have teamed up on four of the films, with Walker being absent from the second movie and Diesel the third.
The unreleased seventh film will also feature Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez and Tyrese Gibson.