When Heath Ledger died in the middle of filming the "Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," the surreal nature of the film gave producers an out in handling his loss. (They ended up using Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law as different versions of Ledger in the movie's dream world; the film ended up with decent critical reviews, but not much mainstream appeal, or even, to my knowledge, a cult following).

The minds behind "Fast and the Furious 7" faced both an easier and more difficult decision upon Paul Walker's mid-movie death, given their film's generally realistic depiction of events. Characters have died in the series before; killing Walker would make sense and may even deepen the plot in unexpected ways. Yet, it would be perceived as tasteless by more than a few fans and critics, and might hurt the film's reputation and so far steadfast support of their fallen star.

Adding to the situation's sensitivity was the existing footage of Walker and how it could be arranged to explain Walker's absence. After several weeks of meetings, director James Wan, writer Chris Morgan and Universal's Jeffrey Kirschenbaum decided to have Walker retire, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

How that plot point will be developed only adds to the intrigue surrounding "Fast 7." Of course, viewers aren't going to hear the news from Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, or watch him at his retirement party. The film crew will have to be creative in how they introduce the event. A touch of sentimentality -- perhaps hearing the character's reflect on their experience with O'Conner -- could be a nice touch if filmmakers decide to explore that path.

Because of Walker's death in November, the film was delayed eight months in order give the movie enough time to rewrite its second half and incorporate additional scenes explaining his disappearance.