The seventh installment of 'Fast and Furious' film is now expected to cost $250 million to finish production with three stand-ins and three cameras used for Paul Walker scene.
- May 23, 2014
AceShowbiz - The production cost of "Fast and Furious 7" is ballooning significantly. The Hollywood Reporter learns that the movie was originally budgeted at $200 million, but now it's predicted to soar past $250 million after months of delay following the tragic death of one of its main cast members Paul Walker.
While the story doesn't drastically change and the crew mostly remains the same, the producers need extra work to complete Walker scene in the best way possible. Words are, the producers use Walker's brother, Caleb, primarily for body size and mannerisms and the other brother, Cody, for the eyes. A third individual, an unnamed actor, is hired for the acting performance.
Three cameras, besides the main-unit cameras, are used to capture Walker's stand-ins on set. Peter Jackson's Weta will handle the CGI effects to alter their faces in the post-production. "There is a massive amount of gear," a source says. "Everything they want with Paul gets done three times over. Three [actors] times seven cameras per shot is a clusterf*** of money being spent."
In addition to the computer-generated approach, director James Wan is also expected to use some of Walker's unused footage from previous two "Fast & Furious" films for the seventh installment, which is postponed from the original summer 2014 release to April 10, 2015.
Rumor has it, there is growing tension between Universal Pictures and insurance company Fireman's Fund as they are discussing the costly reshoots for the movie. A Universal rep insists Fireman's Fund is "nothing but supportive," while the insurance company declines to comment. Its entertainment underwriting director Wendy Diaz once noted that delays alone could cost as much as $250,000 a day on a big-budget movie.
A major insurance settlement on a Hollywood blockbuster came in 2012 when Robert Downey Jr. broke his ankle causing a three-week delay on "Iron Man 3" filming, which reportedly cost around $10 million to $15 million. A larger settlement of about $20 million was paid when John Candy died which filming "Wagons East!" in 1994.
