Universal Studios, who just recently released the trailer for the latest edition to the “Fast and Furious” saga, has enlisted the help of the late Paul Walker’s two brothers, Cody and Caleb to help complete the film scenes that Paul Walker was in. Along Walker’s two brothers, a look-alike actor has been hired to fill in for him physically, while a computer will have specially generated images of him to be used in some scenes.
Paul Walker, who fans may know as Brian O’Conner from the previous “Fast and Furious” movies, ironically died in an automobile accident last November, causing the delay of production for his new movie. Besides putting the film on hold for four months, the producers of the movie had to pay Walker’s co-stars, like Vin Diesel more money to keep them involved in the movie series longer. The script, which was written by Chris Morgan, needed additional work as well before filming could start again.
There’s no doubt that a lot of work has been put into the making of the film. Peter Jackson’s New Zealand-based special effect company has been hard at work using three cameras, in addition to the main camera, for facial replacement with Walker’s stand-ins.
With the trailer for “Furious 7” becoming one of the most viewed trailers of the year, apparently the series is still grabbing the attention of viewers. According to Deadline.com, the trailer has been viewed 100 million times on Facebook in the first 48 hours of its release.
The Hollywood Reporter says that the trailer ranks third in terms of YouTube views in 2014. It was topped by “Fifty Shades of Grey” with 36.4 million views and “Avengers: Age of Ultron” with 50.6 million views.
Popularity of this kind is surprising for a film that’s in its seventh installment. Usually, when films keep releasing sequel or follow-up films, it begins to lose the viewers attention. For example, “Home Alone,” a family comedy starring Macaulay Culkin and Joe Pesci, was the no. 1 film at the box office for 12 weeks straight, from its release in November 1990 to February 1991. Seven years later, “Home Alone 3,” with Alex D. Linz and Scarlett Johansson, was released but did not receive the critical reception that the first two did.
According to many reviews, the new trailer for “Furious 7” seems to be well worth the wait. It begins with Walker doing fast stunts and rescuing an unknown woman. Gunshots and explosions are heard many times throughout the trailer.
“Furious 7” is scheduled to hit theaters on April 3, 2015, and its trailer is proving that it will be a fan favorite worth watching.