As you already know, “Fast & Furious” lead Paul Walker passed away midway through the production of “Fast & Furious 7″, otherwise known as “Furious 7″, in late 2013. His sudden death ultimately left Universal with a blockbuster hanging in the balance.
While the production was put on hold indefinitely initially, the team managed to wheel it back on track with some help.
Paul Walker’s unfinished scenes were completed using a combination of cutting-edge visual effects, archive footage from the Fast movies and body double work from his brothers Caleb and Cody Walker.
His character, Brian O’Connor, plays an integral part in the action film’s storyline, and Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital VFX firm was enlisted to help complete the actor’s final big screen performance.
Top = CG/Digital Paul Walker, Bottom = Real Paul Walker
Director James Wan finished Paul’s performance by digitally placing the actor’s face (sometimes using archive material) onto one of his brothers’ bodies. Combined with careful CGI work, the right lighting and smartly-chosen angles the finished article is subtle and only noticeable to those looking closely.
VFX supervisor Scott Squires, who worked on “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, revealed that it’s now not uncommon for an actor to have a full digital body scan. He said, “If there’s any inkling that you might need a scan, they scan the actor at the start of production. I’ve also heard of certain studios having actors scanned just as an archival thing.”
Watch:
The “Furious 7″ creative team chose to retire Paul’s character, and the film’s emotionally-charged final scenes will give the actor a fitting send-off.
We’ll leave you now with the “Furious 7″ trailer:
“Furious 7″ will be released in cinemas on 3rd April. Get your advance tickets via GSC here.
Source: Digital Spy.