'Fast & Furious 7' Filming to Resume After Paul Walker's Death

Universal Pictures announced last week that "Fast & Furious 7" will resume filming in April, five months after the death of its star Paul Walker.

Execs halted production on the seventh installment of the street racing film series back in early December after Walker, 40, died in a fiery car crash in Valencia, Calif., Nov. 30.

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"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended 'Fast & Furious' family of cast, crew, and filmmakers," the film company said in a statement at the time.

"At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on 'Fast & Furious 7' for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise. We are committed to keeping 'Fast & Furious' fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it. Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker."

After a major script rewrite to figure out the fate of Walker's character Brian O'Connor, Universal announced last week that filming would kick off again in Atlanta on April 1, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Walker's character will reportedly be "retired" in a way that will allow the franchise to continue, sources told E! Online. The "Fast & Furious 7" shoot is scheduled to last about six or eight weeks with a projected April 10, 2015, release date.

Walker died Nov. 30 after the Porsche Carrera GT he was riding in with friend and driver Roger Rodas crashed into a pole and burst into flames.

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