THERE ARE NO plans to call off the release of the next instalment in the ‘Fast & Furious’ movie franchise, in spite of the death in a car crash at the weekend of star Paul Walker.
The 40-year-old actor was killed instantly when a Porsche in which he was a passenger crashed in Santa Clarita, northwest of Los Angeles, on Saturday.
Trade magazine the Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Universal Studios executives met on Sunday morning to decide if the movie would to ahead. A source is quoted as saying it was agreed the film would not be abandoned.
Shooting on Fast 7 had been on hiatus over the Thanksgiving break, and cast and crew had been due back on set in Atlanta on Sunday. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie’s director and studio top brass held a meeting to decide whether rewrites would be needed and “how to proceed in a manner that would be respectful to Walker’s death”.
Most of the film has been completed at this stage, but there are still some scenes left to shoot.
Walker tweeted this photo of himself and his co-stars just hours before his death:
Meanwhile, police in the area where Walker died today warned fans against “burning rubber” near the spot where he was killed, as the investigation into the crash continued.
They issued the caution after reports of people pulling stunts on the stretch of road near the crash scene.
A makeshift shrine has sprung up at the place where the red sports car slammed into a tree and caught fire. Speed is believed to have been a factor in the accident, although investigators are also probing the burnt-out wreckage for evidence of any mechanical problems.
At least one witness has suggested that Walker and his 38-year-old friend, Roger Rodas, may have been drag-style racing at the time, according to CNN, although others have discounted such accounts.
This article includes reporting from AFP.
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