Videos: Paul Walker's death and future of Fast & Furious 7, partly filmed in Colorado

Colorado fans of the Fast & Furious franchise had an additional reason to anticipate the seventh volume of the series, since scenes for the flick were filmed in Salida earlier this fall. However, production has been halted for a tragic reason: On Saturday, co-star Paul Walker, forty, died in a...

By Michael Roberts

December 2, 2013

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Colorado fans of the Fast & Furious franchise had an additional reason to anticipate the seventh volume of the series, since scenes for the flick were filmed in Salida earlier this fall. However, production has been halted for a tragic reason: On Saturday, co-star Paul Walker, forty, died in a single-car accident in California. (He was a passenger in the vehicle, driven by financial adviser Roger Rodas.) Walker's friends and fans reacted with grief even as Hollywood executives considered the film's future. Photos, tribute videos and details below.

Walker's first IMDB credits date back to the 1980s, with appearances in plenty of TV shows (Highway to Heaven, Touched by an Angel) and films such as Pleasantville and She's All That. But his breakthrough was as Brian O'Connor in 2001's The Fast and the Furious -- a role he reprised in multiple sequels. He was a key part of the seventh Furious flick, too, but according to the Hollywood Reporter, filming was on pause for the Thanksgiving break when the crash occurred Saturday afternoon near Valencia.

KABC was one of many news organizations that covered the aftermath of the crash. Here's a screen capture from the station's coverage.

Among the notables saluting Walker was Vin Diesel, who also became a star thanks to the Furious films. Here's one of his tweets....

My brother and I.....we aimed for the stars together....and achieved more than we ever hoped we could with f&f pic.twitter.com/TWWdoaEX1D
— Vin Diesel (@REAL_VinDiesel) December 1, 2013

...and another:

Although I'm totally heartbroken to of lost a brother....I feel honoured and blessed to of known such a wonderful guy pic.twitter.com/Hu0dnHiCRC
— Vin Diesel (@REAL_VinDiesel) December 1, 2013

In addition, Universal, the studio behind the Furious films, issued a statement that reads in part: "All of us at Universal are heartbroken. Paul was truly one of the most beloved and respected members of our studio family for 14 years, and this loss is devastating to us, to everyone involved with the Fast and Furious films, and to countless fans. We send our deepest and most sincere condolences to Paul's family."

Thus far, Universal has declined comment about how Walker's death may impact Fast & Furious 7, but according to the Reporter, some tough decisions will have to be made. Although a significant amount of footage is said to be in the can, filming was set to start up again in Atlanta yesterday, with more sequences slated for Abu Dhabi in January. Those plans are on hold at this writing, but the Reporter notes that executives and filmmakers held a conference call yesterday to discuss the path forward, including possible rewrites to deal with Walker's death.

Of course, major characters have died over the course of the Furious films, including Michelle Rodriguez's Letty Ortiz -- although she was resurrected for Fast & Furious 6. Unfortunately, no such screenwriting slight of hand will be possible for O'Connor. Our condolences to Walker's friends, family, loved ones and admirers.

Here are some of the many tribute videos to Walker that have popped up in recent days.

Continue for more tribute videos to Paul Walker.

Send your story tips to the author, Michael Roberts.

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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