Paul Walker – Furious 7
Furious 7 was maybe halfway through filming when series star Paul Walker tragically died in an automobile accident. The production shut down temporarily so that producers could consult with Walker’s family on what they’d like to do. As the star of the film, there was no way to move forward without him, and there simply wasn’t enough filmed already to try to cobble a movie together.
Walker’s family agreed that the movie should be finished and his two brothers volunteered as stand-ins, since both closely resembled the actor physically. With the help of the special effects crew at WETA who brought Gollum to life in Lord of the Rings and Caesar in Planet of the Apes, special effects turned Cody and Caleb Walker into Paul Walker for the remainder of the film. Furious 7 went on to be the biggest hit of the franchise and one of the biggest films of all time, grossing over $1.5 billion.
