Paul Walker's Fast and Furious character Brian O'Connor will "retire" from the film franchise, according to latest reports.
There has been ongoing speculation on what will happen to the late actor's character in the F&F movie series, but latest reports suggest that rather than his character being killed off, he will be "retired."
The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "In the weeks after the tragedy, director James Wan, writer Chris Morgan, and Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Universal's lead executive on the Fast films, pored over the footage Wan had shot.. The trio then devised a plan to tweak the existing script so that Walker would remain a part of the story but could be written out, allowing the franchise to continue without him.
Walker, 40, was in the middle of shooting the 7<sup>th installment of the Fast and the Furious, when he tragically passed away on Nov. 30, 2013.
After his death, Universal announced that they would stop production and filming until they figure out how to proceed without Walker.
A spokesperson for Universal said: "At this time we feel it is our responsibility to shut down production on "Fast & Furious 7" for a period of time so we can assess all options available to move forward with the franchise. We are committed to keeping Fast & Furious fans informed, and we will provide further information to them when we have it. Until then, we know they join us in mourning the passing of our dear friend Paul Walker."
The Fast and the Furious 7 was originally scheduled to release in July 2014, but the date has been pushed back to April 10, 2015.
Universal has not yet commented on the latest report by The Hollywood Reporter.
In December, Walker's younger brother Cody, 25, was rumored to replace the Brian O'Conner character, but that has neither been confirmed or commented on by Cody.
Movie producers reportedly proposed Cody to fill in for him for the remainder of the film. With nearly identical features, Cody is a good candidate, and the technicians would likely use CGI to transform him into Paul.
A source told the Daily Mail: "They soon realized they needed someone who looked like Paul to finish the movie and that's when they approached his nearly identical brother, Cody. They can shoot Cody from behind and at distance and if it's a shot they need Paul's face in close up they can CGI it later on. If Cody agrees it's because he wants to honor his brother's memory. There are many details that still need to be worked out, but right now the family and cast and crew are all still grieving,"
