Paul Walker May Appear in 'Fast & Furious 7' After All

Paul Walker is gone, but his legacy lives on through the “Fast & Furious” franchise. Once the dust of his tragic death settled, fans began to wonder how his passing would affect the making of “Fast & Furious 7.” The movie was far from completion at the time of Walker’s death, and although initial reports stated that Universal would scrap the footage, those rumors have been shot down.

Universal announced that screenwriter Chris Morgan will rewrite “Fast & Furious 7” to give Paul Walker’s character a proper send off while incorporating the portions of the film that have already been shot. If he can succeed in crafting a promising script, the rest of the cast and crew could return to the set by late January.

“Almost exactly half of his role was done,” one sources tells The Hollywood Reporter of Walker’s work on the film. Another source claims that Walker was scheduled to shoot a large portion of his remaining scenes the week following the crash.

However, nothing is set in stone. Universal chairman Donna Langley and production co-president Jeffrey Kirschenbaum have to make a difficult decision. Of course, it would be best to interweave the already-shot footage throughout the film, but if the script doesn’t come together, they’ll have to pull the plug entirely and rebuild from scratch. If that’s the case, the studio’s insurance firm, Fireman’s Fund, would have to pay the $150 million that’s already gone into its production.

Regardless, a decision must come soon. Shutting down production saves money, but it also causes issues with the cast and crew’s contracts. They can only be kept them on hold for so long. Universal is also required to pay half the actor’s salaries during the hiatus, but some stars may have separate deals with additional provisions.

We hope that Morgan can draft up an impressive script that will pay tribute to the late Walker while upholding the expectations of “Fast & Furious” fans worldwide. Keep your fingers crossed.