TheFast and Furiousfranchise has continued to dominate the box office even after the tragic death of star Paul Walker altered the end ofFurious 7. Walker died during the production ofFurious 7, forcing production to halt as the cast and the crew mourned the loss of their dear friend. When production resumed, it was clear towriter Chris Morganthat the ending ofFurious 7would have to be changed for not only practical reasons, but also as a proper goodbye to Walker. Morgan recently sat down with Collider and spoke of the tragic event that altered theFast and Furiousfranchise.
In the end ofFurious 7, Walker’s characterBrian O’connorwas given a heartfelt goodbye by his on-screen brother Vin Diesel. But fans of the franchise have always wondered what would have happened had Walker not passed away. While speaking to Collider, Morgan offered what the original ending of the film was going to be.
“Well, the original ending, if I remember correctly, was our guys end up solving the problem and then kind of becoming, again, going more outlaw, it was sort of a happier ending that kind of ends with the insinuation that they were gonna go off onto this heist or this job.”
InFurious 7, O’Connor was looking to step away from the fast cars and guns to lead a more family lifestyle. Morgan went on to say that the futureFast and Furiousfilms might have been more of O’Connor continuing his inner struggle to stay straight.
“In regards to the story, the story actually kind of was the same. The only difference is that whereas we let Brian and Mia and their family kind of go off to just be a family and drop the action-y elements of their lives and stop risking everything whenfamily is so importantto them, otherwise we would’ve just kind of continued with Brian learning and adjusting his character a little bit.”
It would have been a nice story arc to see O’Connor continue to try and stay out of the game, but that was not meant to be. TheFast and Furiousfranchise has always been about family at its core and you can see that the same vibe carried on to the cast and crew when it came toPaul Walker. Morgan also talked about tying up the loose ends with the fans while writing the new ending.
“For the audience, and just as a fan as the writer on it, I also wanted to have one moment where we were able to, specifically at the beat at the end of the film, say to the audience, “We’re thinking of him too” in a respectful sort of way.”
It is really great to see that so much thought went into the handling of a delicate situation in such a turbulent time. The latest movie in the franchiseFate of the Furiousis continuing to tear it up at the box office since its release 2 weeks ago. The film broke the record for worldwide box office earnings at an estimated $532.5 million.Fate of the Furiousis also set to be number 1 at the box office for the second consecutive week in a row.
