Fast & Furious 6 Paul Walker Vin Diesel - H 2013
Universal PicturesAfter a four-month hiatus following the unexpected death of star Paul Walker, Fast & Furious 7 resumed production on Monday, March 31.
Director James Wan shared a photo on Instagram Monday of a placard from set, writing: “First day back filming. Better and stronger.”
The Universal production, which will shoot in Abu Dhabi in April, will bring back stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges for the remainder of the shoot. Wan, who is taking over as director of the franchise from Justin Lin, has about one year until the film is due to hit theaters on April 10, 2015.
STORY: ‘Fast & Furious 7’ Director James Wan’s Last Interview on Set Before Paul Walker Crash
Fast 7 was about half finished with shooting when Walker — who played ex-cop Brian O’Conner — was killed in a car crash in Valencia, Calif., on Nov. 30. The tragedy required the film’s original release date to be scrapped and Wan, writer Chris Morgan and Universal to pore over existing footage and tweak the script.
As THR previously reported, insiders now believe Walker’s character can be “retired” — rather than killed off — in a way that will allow the franchise to continue.
The first footage from the action car franchise debuted at CinemaCon in Las Vegas last week. It featured Walker and the rest of the actors sitting in cars that are dropped out of an airplane and parachute their way down to the ground.
Email: Rebecca.Ford@THR.com
Twitter: @Beccamford
