'Furious 7' Premiere Date News: Tribute to Paul Walker at World Premiere in Texas
Fans of the Fast and Furious franchise queued for several hours just to see the last appearance of late Paul Walker on screen during the surprise world premiere of "Furious7" at the SXSW Arts Festival in Austin, Texas, on Saturday.
Organizers rushed the premiere for the eagerly awaited sequel a few minutes after midnight on Saturday, or less than 24 hours after producer Neal Moritz inquired about the event.
The film featured the final appearance of Walker, who died in a tragic car accident in November 2013 while the movie was still being shot in time for its initially planned 2014 release.
Speaking ahead of the screening, Moritz gave a touching send-off to Walker, telling the audience that he had "lost a dear friend, brother, comrade while we were making this movie."
"He was the best guy I met in my world, in my life. We were determined to honor his legacy and our love for him forever," Moritz said, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
He then asked the audience not to reveal the way Walker's character, Brian O'Connor, exits the story.
"I know Paul Walker would be smiling down on us... When we decided to continue this movie, we were determined to honor his legacy," he added, according to the Telegraph.
Director James Wan, screenwriter Chris Morgan and Walker's co-star Tyrese Gibson also appeared onstage.
As the film was dedicated to honor Walker's memory, fans applauded when he first appeared five minutes after the movie began rolling. Despite Walker's sudden death, the film was seamlessly finished with the help of Walker's brothers Caleb and Cody.
It may be recalled that the world premiere for "Furious 7" was cancelled after Vin Diesel chose to be by the side of his wife, who gave birth on Feb. 25.
The Fast and Furious is Universal Pictures' most successful franchise, with the first six films' combined box-office takings topping $2 billion.