Paul Walker was killed in a car accident Saturday in Southern California. The 'Fast and Furious' star had been filming the franchise's next sequel in Atlanta, but was home for the holiday.
Paul Walker poses with the car that he drove in 2003'3 "2 Fast and 2 Furious."(Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
As friends and celebrities said goodbye to Paul Walker on Sunday, fans and analysts pondered the future of his most famous franchise.
Walker, who died in a fiery car crash Saturday afternoon in Santa Clarita, Calif., north of Los Angeles, was in the middle of shooting Fast & Furious 7, which is expected out July 11, 2014.
Throughout Hollywood, the news resonated. From co-stars Tyrese and Ludacris to high-profile fans including Lady Gaga, stars bid farewell to the 40-year-old actor, who was killed along with friend Roger Road, 38, identified as the driver of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT which lost control and hit a tree before bursting into flames.
MORE: One of Paul Walker's last interviews
PHOTOS: Paul Walker's 'Fast & Furious' cars
Furious co-star Vin Diesel posted a picture of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the caption: "Brother, I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not list a cause of the crash Sunday, though it said speed was a factor.
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The death leaves Universal with a macabre decision: How does it move forward with the franchise?
Tragedy is nothing new to studios selling movies. When Heath Ledger was discovered dead in his loft apartment in New York in January 2008, Warner Bros. had to gingerly market his newest movie, The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker. In 1993, Brandon Lee died of an accidental gunshot wound on the set of Miramax's The Crow.
"Those movies didn't even change their release dates," says Jeff Bock, vice president of box-office data firm Exhibitor Relations. "You have to be delicate in how you market the movie so as not to offend. The studio has time to let the tragedy pass. They don't have to decide now about re-writes or how they go forward from here. But you can be sure this will be the biggest movie of the franchise."
In a press release Saturday, Fast and Furious distributor Universal Pictures did not mention changing the release date or content of the latest installment of the racing series. The studio made no further comment Sunday.
"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 & Furious' films, and to countless fans," the studio said in its statement.
Those fans will determine the future of the street-racing series, which began in 2001. "He and Vin were the Butch and Sundance of the franchise," says Paul Dergarabedian of industry firm Rentrak. "Just by the reaction online, you can tell people are responding like they lost a friend or family member."
The key friend being Diesel, who serves as a franchise producer, Bock says. While Diesel did not respond to interview requests Sunday, analysts say the future of the series could rest in his hands.
"About the only thing that would stop Fast & Furious is if Vin decides he's done," Bock says. "He's known as an emotional guy, and Universal will have to see what he wants to do. The series is too big and too loved for it to end any other way."
Paul Walker poses with the car that he drove in 2003'3 "2 Fast and 2 Furious."(Photo: Robert Hanashiro, USA TODAY)
[h=3]Story Highlights[/h]
- The 40-year-old actor died Saturday afternoon in a fiery car crash
- Seventh installment is planned for release July 11, 2014 and will be 'the biggest movie of the franchise'
- If Vin Diesel decides he's done, then 'Fast & Furious' is over, analysts say
As friends and celebrities said goodbye to Paul Walker on Sunday, fans and analysts pondered the future of his most famous franchise.
Walker, who died in a fiery car crash Saturday afternoon in Santa Clarita, Calif., north of Los Angeles, was in the middle of shooting Fast & Furious 7, which is expected out July 11, 2014.
Throughout Hollywood, the news resonated. From co-stars Tyrese and Ludacris to high-profile fans including Lady Gaga, stars bid farewell to the 40-year-old actor, who was killed along with friend Roger Road, 38, identified as the driver of the 2005 Porsche Carrera GT which lost control and hit a tree before bursting into flames.
MORE: One of Paul Walker's last interviews
PHOTOS: Paul Walker's 'Fast & Furious' cars
Furious co-star Vin Diesel posted a picture of him and Walker arm-in-arm on Instagram with the caption: "Brother, I will miss you very much. I am absolutely speechless."
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department did not list a cause of the crash Sunday, though it said speed was a factor.
Autoplay
Show Thumbnails
Show Captions
Last SlideNext Slide
The death leaves Universal with a macabre decision: How does it move forward with the franchise?
Tragedy is nothing new to studios selling movies. When Heath Ledger was discovered dead in his loft apartment in New York in January 2008, Warner Bros. had to gingerly market his newest movie, The Dark Knight, in which he played The Joker. In 1993, Brandon Lee died of an accidental gunshot wound on the set of Miramax's The Crow.
"Those movies didn't even change their release dates," says Jeff Bock, vice president of box-office data firm Exhibitor Relations. "You have to be delicate in how you market the movie so as not to offend. The studio has time to let the tragedy pass. They don't have to decide now about re-writes or how they go forward from here. But you can be sure this will be the biggest movie of the franchise."
In a press release Saturday, Fast and Furious distributor Universal Pictures did not mention changing the release date or content of the latest installment of the racing series. The studio made no further comment Sunday.
"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 & Furious' films, and to countless fans," the studio said in its statement.
Those fans will determine the future of the street-racing series, which began in 2001. "He and Vin were the Butch and Sundance of the franchise," says Paul Dergarabedian of industry firm Rentrak. "Just by the reaction online, you can tell people are responding like they lost a friend or family member."
The key friend being Diesel, who serves as a franchise producer, Bock says. While Diesel did not respond to interview requests Sunday, analysts say the future of the series could rest in his hands.
"About the only thing that would stop Fast & Furious is if Vin decides he's done," Bock says. "He's known as an emotional guy, and Universal will have to see what he wants to do. The series is too big and too loved for it to end any other way."