While we knew that Universal had planned to keep the late Paul Walker’s scenes in the final cut of Fast and Furious 7, no one was quite sure how the filmmakers would accomplish this. Well a report from the NY Daily News’ Confidential blog apparently has the answer.
According to a studio source, “They have hired four actors with bodies very similar to Paul’s physique and they will be used for movement and as a base.” The source also revealed, “Paul’s face and voice will be used on top using CGI.”
It’s not ideal, but this is the most seamless way to pay tribute to Walker’s character and fill in all of the necessary holes along the way. This is similar to the techniques Ridley Scott used to complete Oliver Reed's scenes in Gladiator and how Alex Proyas worked around Brandon Lee's death on The Crow.
The site’s source claims “the studio feels confident fans of the franchise will feel satisfied with the result.”
We’ll see if Universal can pull it off when Fast & Furious 7 is released on April 10, 2015.
[via Confidential]
