CGI and doubles will keep Paul Walker in ‘Fast & Furious 7’

The tragic death of Paul Walker in November will not stop filmmakers from completing the blockbuster and will not keep Walker out of the final cut.

While the movie’s release has been put back to April 2015 (from its original July 2014 release slot), and Universal is now revealing that they will keep Brian O’Connor, Walker’s character, in the final version, detailed in a New York Daily News article.

Universal has opted not to recast the role, and instead has been hiring “four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique, and they will be used for movement and as a base. Paul’s face and voice will be used on top using CGI”.

The shoot was about half-way through when Walker died, and the plan always seemed to be to try and rework things to give him the most fitting send-off.

The cast and crew have been shooting scenes along the streets of downtown Atlanta, while Diesel took to his Facebook to post a picture of the last scene he filmed with Walker, writing, “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 … ‘Fast and Furious 7’ will be released … April 10th 2015! P.S. He’d want you to know first.”