WALKER WILL APPEAR IN FAST & FURIOUS 7

Universal announced on Monday that Fast and Furious 7 will be delayed nine months while the producers attempt to find a work-around for the loss of Paul Walker, who was killed in an auto accident last month. The studio indicated that Walker will definitely appear in the film, which was about half-finished at the time of the accident. Today’s (Tuesday) New York Times observed that while the April 2015 date will protect the film from having to compete with the blockbusters released during the summer corridor, it will give it a jump on spring break and defend it against Disney’s planned Avengers sequel, Age of Ultron, which opens on May 1, 2015. The newspaper also indicated that the delay will give the studio’s marketing department time to figure out a way “to advertise the film’s extreme stunts while being respectful to Mr. Walker’s memory.”