Fans looking to tune into something or anything Vin Diesel-related can now pan over to new photos being released teasing the actor’s incarnation of Valiant Comics’ supersoldier, Bloodshot. Diesel will be on hand on Thursday alongside fellow Fast And Furious cohorts Tyrese Gibson and Sung Kang and Reach Out WorldWide CEO Cody Walker for the fourth annual fundraising event.
Colonel Branson (Thomas Gibson), head of a secret and covert division of the NSA, keeps the Shadow Wolves operating albeit now independent and rogue. He has a chip on his shoulder after his daughter was killed in Afghanistan training civilians and he uses that as driven motivation to defend “his” America and her borders by all means legal or otherwise.
Just in time as action stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Tony Jaa are seen taking photos with director James Wan and the cast and crew of Fast And Furious 7 upon wrapping their scenes, April 3, 2015 is the new date Universal Pictures is announcing for the film’s release. The announcement marks the third change in dates since the film, which also features lead actor Vin Diesel, shifted its original July 11, 2014 date to April 10, 2015 last December, following the off-set accidental death of lead actor Paul Walker last November.
Many of the cast members have already wrapped their scenes, including co-stars Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges and Tyrese Gibson just a few weeks ago. There’s no official word yet on how the film will transition into its new trilogy regarding the script changes that were required since the film’s temporary hiatus in January, although recent months have revealed some coverage pertaining to the addition of one of the brothers of the late actor for additional films in the franchise; Both brothers, Caleb and Cody Walker, stood in earlier this year with two other body doubles to finish Paul‘s scenes for a proper send-off of the iconic character, “Bryan O’Connor”, with post-production to include a digital rendering of Paul’s face and voice.
Aside from movies, Paul Walker was also best known for his acquatic research, as well as philanthropic and charitable work as co-founder of the non-profit organization Reach Out Worldwide back in 2010, engaging in disaster relief efforts around the world. A portion of the proceeds of his film sales go directly to ROWW in honor of his memory.
Stay tuned for more info.
H/T: Variety
From L to R: Cody Walker and Paul Walker
Considering the sensitive tone surrounding the death of actor Paul Walker late last year during Holiday break from filming Fast And Furious 7, I do my best to avoid getting too excited when I hear certain rumors that might come off as appealing and, in some ways, “reportable” news. I love the Fast And Furious franchise and was absolutely gutted when the actor passed away, and was happy to hear that the production was keeping Walker‘s character, former undercover cop-cum-outlaw Brian O’Connor for the home stretch of the film’s shooting schedule.
Of course, the fascinating part of it all was learning how this would be done. And needless to say, the method being used to accomplish this is pretty intricate – shooting scenes up to three times between using Walker‘s brothers, Caleb and Cody, along with other performers doubling in place of Paul, and the aid Peter Jackson’s VFX company, Weta Digital, working the necessary visuals to help keep Paul‘s character long enough to provide a happy ending so the franchise could live on. It’s a lot of work they’re doing for fans who love Paul and love the film saga altogether, and while the cost of the extra work has certainly increased the film’s initial budget, commercially, it shouldn’t be too big an issue. Personally, I think the results on the film’s opening day of April 10, 2015 will speak for themselves.
The big question now, it seems, is how valid are the latest updates regarding Cody Walker. Right now there are various reports from numerous sites forwarding updates from MailOnline’s latest exclusive, citing an “unnamed source” from the set of the film that claims Cody will star in a what’s being described as a “recurring role” for the film.
To be honest, I don’t know what kind of affect this latest report will have on the Fast And Furious franchise, seeing as I’ve never seen Cody act before. He does have a couple of film credits to his name on his IMDb page though, and it could be fun to see a fresh face added to the cast of this beloved franchise. And, considering Cody‘s likeness to his late brother, it should make for an interesting conversation starter as to what kind of character filmgoers can expect.
Make no mistake though, as the reports are also stipulating that Cody is, in no way, a replacement for Paul Walker, whose character will be retiring from the Fast And Furious story. However, it is not yet fully known how the late actor’s on-screen wife, actress Jordana Brewster will be treated between now and future films. Personally, I hope she doesn’t get written off, because I love her character in relation to that of her on-screen brother, played by Vin Diesel.
At any rate, if news about Cody‘s addition to the franchise is true, this will be quite the game changer for all of us on the outside looking in. I imagine it certainly is for the cast and crew as it is. (sigh) …Boy oh boy.
Watch this space for further updates.
H/T: MailOnline
Today feels a little Fast And Furious-themed, and that’s partially my fault particularly after just completing an article this morning about actor Vin Diesel and actress Jordana Brewster. Universal Pictures just went public with a special note to fans of the franchise in light of late actor Paul Walker, in addition to a small update on the production involving Walker‘s brothers Caleb and Cody.
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