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| 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