How Fast & Furious 7’s original ending was changed after Paul Walker’s death

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With the recent publication of Barry Hertz’s book, Welcome to the Family, fans of the Fast & Furious franchise now know the original ending planned for the seventh movie, which came out after Paul Walker’s passing.

According to Hertz, the original ending of Furious 7 showed the entire team back at Neptune’s Net, a seafood restaurant in Malibu featured in the first film where Brian and Dom first connected. They were celebrating after successfully recovering ‘God’s Eye,’ the object that the villain Deckard Shaw (played by Jason Statham) was after.

Instead of returning the device to the enigmatic government agent, Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell), who had just honored the team with congressional awards, Dom destroys it with his boot, believing it was too dangerous for anyone to control. The team then speeds away on the Pacific Coast Highway, with Dom happily discarding the award out the window as the music swells and the credits begin.

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Originally, the seventh Fast & Furious movie was intended to end with Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team deciding on their next mission by throwing a knife at a map, letting chance determine their destination. However, after Paul Walker’s tragic death in a car accident in 2013, the planned ending was abandoned and replaced with a new one.

Released in theaters in April 2015, just over a year after Paul Walker’s passing, Furious 7 served as a heartfelt tribute to the actor. The film famously ends with a touching scene of Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, enjoying a peaceful family moment on the beach with his wife, Mia (Jordana Brewster), and their son, Jack, while his friends look on.

As a final tribute to Brian, Dominic starts to drive away when Brian unexpectedly appears beside him in his white Toyota Supra. Brian jokingly asks if Dominic was trying to leave without saying goodbye, which prompts Dominic to fondly remember their shared experiences through a montage of clips from past films. Driving off in separate directions, Dominic acknowledges that Brian will always be with him, forever remaining like a brother.

Man, everyone loved how the movie ended – seriously, the fans were all about it. What blew my mind was how they brought Paul Walker back for those final scenes. They used some crazy advanced visual effects, mixed with old footage from the other Fast & Furious films, and even had his brothers, Caleb and Cody, step in as body doubles. It was really well done and a respectful way to finish his story.

Director James Wan told Collider that the initial ending of Furious 7 was designed to expand the Fast and Furious universe. However, Paul Walker’s tragic death changed everything, making those plans unimportant. Wan praised the studio for understanding this and choosing not to pursue the original ending.

The filmmakers understood it was crucial to complete the movie and create a true tribute to Paul Walker. I really admire them for prioritizing that and choosing an ending that felt right and honored his memory.

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2025-11-30 15:21