'Fast and Furious 7' to be released in April 2015

[News_Editor]

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- The seventh installment of the "Fast & Furious" film franchise, for which production was halted last month after the sudden death of actor Paul Walker, will be released in April 2015, actor and producer Vin Diesel announced late Sunday evening.

In a post on the social networking website Facebook, Diesel shared a photo from the last scene in which he and Walker 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," the actor, who is both the star of the series and a producer, wrote.

Diesel added that 'Fast & Furious 7' has been rescheduled to be released on April 10, 2015, nearly a year later than the original release date. Universal Pictures halted production late last month after Walker and his business partner Roger Rodas were killed when the vehicle they were in crashed and burst into flames.

The men were in a red 2005 Porsche Carrera GT that slammed into a tree in the community of Valencia in Santa Clarita, a city near Los Angeles in Southern California. Patrol deputies who arrived at the scene found the vehicle engulfed in flames, and rescue workers later recovered the men's remains which were burnt beyond recognition.

In an update last week, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department spokesman Captain Mike Parker said investigators had not yet reached a conclusion as to the cause of the collision. He said investigators are scheduled to meet in January with engineers from Porsche to analyze the car's data retrieval system in the car, which is likely to reveal information about speed, RPM's, throttle opening, and air bag deployment.

Sergeant Rich Peña earlier said that eyewitnesses reported seeing the Porsche traveling alone at a high rate of speed in an area where the posted speed limit is 45 miles (72 kilometers) per hour. No eyewitnesses have come forward to indicate a second vehicle was involved in the accident, he said.

When "Fast & Furious 6" arrived in theaters across the United States in late May, it immediately shot to the number one position, taking in an estimated $120 million during the three-day Memorial Day weekend in the United States and more than $256 million worldwide. It marked the biggest opening film in the history of Universal Pictures.

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[Chicog]

Perhaps they'll give him a token Oscar nod.