Over the weekend, Fast & Furious star Paul Walker died in a car crash in Los Angeles. The actor, aged 40, was shooting the highly anticipated Fast & Furious 7 in recent months, although the production was on a holiday break at the time of the accident. Many of his co-stars turned to social media to express their condolences to his family and their love and praise for him and his work.
As one of the core actors of the Fast & Furious franchise alongside Vin Diesel, Walker’s career was defined by Fast & Furious as it, in turn, defined Fast & Furious, as well. Currently, production on the James Wan-directed Fast & Furious 7 is postponed indefinitely until Universal and Wan can think up a proper way to continue the franchise while still paying proper respect to Walker’s Brian O’Conner character.
I’ve sung the praises of this summer’s Fast & Furious 6 in my first film review for Ruby Hornet, and a part of what made the film so entertaining was the central theme of family and friendship, even if it was drilled to near exaggeration throughout the film. With one of its primary actors gone, it will be difficult to carry the tone in light of the weekend’s tragedy.
[via Yahoo! Movies, via Collider]