Best Hit Movies: Hot News: Paul Walker's Brother Cody Walker May Fill in for Final Fast & Furious 7 Scenes

Saturday, December 14, 2013

Hot News: Paul Walker's Brother Cody Walker May Fill in for Final Fast & Furious 7 Scenes

Earlier this week, we reported that Universal Pictures may restart production on Fast & Furious 7 as early as January, if the latest script rewrite by Chris Morgan is approved by the studio. At the time of Paul Walker's tragic death, the actor still had more scenes to film, and the studio is currently mulling over whether or not to start the movie entirely from scratch, or continuing production with scenes they had already shot with Paul Walker. Today, we have word that the studio has asked the late actor's younger brother, 25-year-old Cody Walker, to fill in for him when shooting gets back under way.

Here's what an unidentified insider had to say

"Producers had a string of meetings right after Paul's death. They soon realized they needed someone who looked like Paul to finish the movie and that's when they approached his nearly identical brother, Cody. They can shoot Cody from behind and at distance and if it's a shot they need Paul's face in close up they can CGI it later on. If Cody agrees it's because he wants to honor his brother's memory. There are many details that still need to be worked out, but right now the family and cast and crew are all still grieving."

Cody Walker, who had previously worked as a movie stuntman in the past, resides in Oregon, although he has been in Los Angeles since his brother's death to help comfort his mother Cheryl.

When asked to comment on these developments, a Universal Pictures spokesperson released the following statement.

"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast & Furious family of cast, crew and filmmakers."

The studio is also working with the actor's family, taking their guidance on what would be a fitting send-off for his character, Brian O'Connor. Our report from earlier this week revealed that Universal has already spent $ 150 million on the sequel, and if they decide to scrap the footage that has already been shot, the studio's insurance company, Fireman's Fund, may have to foot the bill, making it one of the largest insurance claims in Hollywood history.

Fast & Furious 7 comes to theaters July 11th, 2014 and stars Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Kurt Russell, Jordana Brewster, Lucas Black. The film is directed by James Wan.