In the wake of star Paul Walker's tragic death , Universal formally announced today that the studio has halted production indefinitely on Fast & Furious 7

Paul Walker in Fast & Furious 6

"Right now, all of us at Universal are dedicated to providing support to Paul's immediate family and our extended Fast & Furious family of cast, crew and filmmakers," Universal said in a statement. "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 announcement confirms a similar report from earlier this week, which suggested that filming was over halfway completed at the time of Walker's passing. No doubt the film will require rewrites and reshoots before its eventual release.The movie was due out on July 11, 2014, but that date will obviously be pushed.

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