The “Fast & Furious” cast rumor, where Justin Bieber replaces Paul Walker, isn’t true--Bieber will join former director Justin Lin on the sidelines watching the movie, which will include a fresh face, Jason Statham, as the main villain.
Statham plays Ian Shaw, brother of Owen Shaw, who Toretto killed in “Fast & Furious 6.” While Paul Walker’s death has complicated production, producers have reached out to Cody Walker, Paul’s younger brother, to help them shoot some final scenes and create an exit--likely a death--for Walker’s character Brian O'Conner.
There is no sign that any of the rumors that Bieber would replace Walker had any substance. It would be an odd choice because of the obvious age gap, and gap in acting skills. Regulars in the “Fast & Furious” series, such as Vin Diesel, Ludacris, and Tyrese Gibson are pretty good actors, while Bieber is unproven as an actor.
For the seventh installment of the popular series, Justin Wan takes over as director from Justin Lin, who is involved with other projects now.
Chris Morgan and Gary Scott Thompson are the script writers, with Morgan revising the script to insert O'Conner’s death.
Wan told TMZ this week that although production has temporarily come to a halt, it will continue and the movie will be made.
About half of the scenes O'Conner was due to appear in have been filmed, making an exit problematic but not entirely impossible.
Friends Read Free