Trendy Film Report: Furious 7: The Countdown Begins!

Almost a year after Paul Walker’s tragic and untimely death in a car crash, the franchise that propelled his career, is initiating an ambitious marketing campaign to get fans revved up for the next installment.

Furious 7 which was initially scheduled for release this past summer will open in theaters April, 3 2015, but in the meantime, there will be sneak peeks and interactive modules including a project titled “7 seconds of 7”, which features a video showcasing behind-the-scenes snippets – this will be available every day leading up to the debut of the trailer that drops Nov. 1. The first one dropped on Sunday and it gave viewers a quick sweep of the main cast including Paul Walker whose effortless smile will undoubtedly remind everyone why he is so deeply missed.

But there is more. On Nov. 1, at 12 p.m. PTS, Universal Studios in Los Angeles is staging a live event, which will enable live streaming on the #FF7 Facebook page that has garnered an impressive 51 million likes. There will also be an opportunity to participate in a Q&A, allowing die-hard fans to submit questions to the movie’s stars, including Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and Jason Statham via Instagram using the hashtag #AskFurious7 or at the actual event.

Director James Wan, (The Conjuring) stepped in to fill the spot left vacant by his predecessor, Justin Lin, who helmed four of the films that have proven to be globally and critically acclaimed.

This will be a bittersweet journey for the cast members as they embark on the task of trying to convince fans that despite the massive loss they suffered a year ago, the Fast Family is still securely intact.

Paul Walker had already filmed majority of his scenes before his death last November during Thanksgiving break. Production immediately went on hiatus indefinitely before resuming in the spring of 2014. Walker’s younger brothers, Caleb and Cody stepped in as body doubles to help complete the remaining scenes, and whatever else needed to be implemented was left to the expertise of CGI.

One things is for sure – this might just be the most watched and most anticipated trailer of 2014.

Furious 7 also stars, Kurt Russell, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, and Dwayne Johnson.