Following a delay in production due to the tragic death of actor Paul Walker, a new release date has been set for "Fast & Furious 7."
On Sunday, star Vin Diesel announced the date via his Facebook page. Originally scheduled for a July 11, 2014 release date, the James Wan-directed movie will now hit theaters on April 10, 2015. In his message to fans, Diesel wrote that "[Walker would] want you to know first..."
Along with an image of the two stars on the set of the upcoming film, Diesel added: "The last scene we filmed together.... There was a unique sense of completion, of pride we shared... in the film we were now completing... the magic captured... and, in just how far we've come."
Universal Pictures has confirmed the date and that Walker will definitely appear in the film. How his character, Brian O'Connner, will feature in the storyline has yet to be revealed.
"Fast & Furious 7" began filming in September and the cast and crew were scheduled to resume Dec. 2 in Atlanta. Walker, 40, was killed in a car accident Nov. 30 while on break from shooting. Universal announced Dec. 4 that production on the movie would be halted "so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise."
The film's new release date puts it at the beginning of one of the most jam-packed movie blockbuster seasons. "Fast & Furious 7" will bow mere weeks ahead of other highly-anticipated sequels including "The Avengers: Age of Ultron," "Batman vs. Superman" and "Jurassic World.
