Paul and daughter

A month before he was due to arrive in Abu Dhabi to film his scenes for Fast and Furious 7, actor Paul Walker, most well known for starring in the lead role of the car racing franchise opposite Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson, died in a tragic car accident yesterday afternoon (November 30th 2013).

Another example of how short and precious life is, the 40 year old, yet youthful actor had died while seated as a passenger in a friend’s car while attending a charity car show in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles. LA County police said that deputies found the car engulfed in flames after receiving a report of a collision. Both occupants were pronounced dead at the scene.

Originally due for release in July 2014, Fast and the Furious 7, which serves as a follow-up to this years’ box office hit Fast and the Furious 6 as well as the direct sequel to 2006’s Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift, is set in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Earlier in the month a spokesperson for the Abu Dhabi Film Commission (ADFC) said the cast had already completed the ‘first round’ of filming in the Emirate and were due to return at the beginning of 2014 to initiate the second round. How the death of Paul Walker will effect the filming of this latest instalment in the franchise is unclear. www.acting-auditions.org, which had posted a casting call for the film earlier this year, updated its website today in light of Walker’s death, posting: “Filming will likely be postponed indefinitely".

Akin to other stars that have died during the filming of high profile features, there will likely be only one of two options for the completion of the film (barring the complete shelving of the project). If Walker had completed most of his principle scenes, then like the actor Heath Ledger who died during the filming of The Dark Knight, editing and post production changes will be the only issue. If however the situation is similar to the death of Aaliyah who was a third of the way through filming the two Matrix sequels, then a significant re-write of the script will be necessary, especially since Walker is a central component to the Fast and the Furious franchise.

According to Reuters, Universal conveyed its condolences to Walker's family, saying, "All of us at Universal are heartbroken.

"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 and Furious films, and to countless fans."

"So sad. He gave a lot of joy," wrote James Franco, while supermodel Tyson Beckford posted "Tyson Beckford: RIP Paul Walker, loved working with you on "Into the Blue."

Speaking to Collider two weeks ago, Paul Walker spoke of the prospect of starring in Fast and the Furious 8: "The studio supposedly wants 8, 9 and 10. I’ll be 50. Even if 7 were to [tank], there’s at least an 8. That’s a guarantee."