'Spitting images' of Paul Walker help wrap up Fast & Furious 7 in Abu Dhabi

The late Paul Walker has had an enormous presence during the shoot of “Fast and Furious 7,” which just wrapped up in Abu Dhabi.

His brothers, who bear an uncanny resemblance to the late star, helped wrap up the shooting, which was ongoing when the star died in a car crash last November.

Now, almost six months after the untimely death of Paul Walker, the movie has been completed, according to Abu Dhabi government entities, who helped complete this feat in the UAE capital.

(@Ludacris)

Cody Walker and Caleb Walker, Paul’s brothers, are a “spitting image” of the late star, and they were spotted at all iconic locations in Abu Dhabi where Fast & Furious 7 was filmed, including Emirates Palace, Al Ain city and Jumeirah Etihad Towers.

The landlord of Etihad Towers, Sheikh Suroor bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, visited the production while it was filming at his property, illustrating the private sector’s support for global productions and the emirate’s emergence as a media production hub.

The UAE continues to emerge as a leading hub for regional and global television and film with the successful filming of Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 7.

(@Ludacris)

In a media statement, twofour54 , the commercial arm of the Media Zone Authority-Abu Dhabi, said the production of the next chapter in the highly anticipated action-thriller series was made possible by cooperation between Abu Dhabi government entities and twofour54 intaj, the television and film services provider of twofour54 .

“We are delighted that the filming of Fast & Furious 7 was successfully completed. It is wonderful to see how popular foreign productions can benefit from Abu Dhabi’s unique locations, world-class production and post-production facilities, locally based media professionals and generous film rebate,” said Noura Al Kaabi, CEO of twofour54 .

Filming of Fast & Furious 7 in the UAE caused a social media frenzy, with fans thrilled by the presence of international stars. The cast and crew also expressed their delight with the location and local hospitality online.

The producers of Fast & Furious 7 also benefited from a 30 per cent rebate on all qualifying spend in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi offered by Abu Dhabi Film Commission. In an example of how the government machinery assisted in the filming of the movie, the UAE’s Ministry of the Interior, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Abu Dhabi Department of Transport provided on-the-ground support by providing permits and managing traffic.

Filming of the anticipated installment of the action series began in Abu Dhabi in November 2013, when a visual effects crew captured helicopter shots, stunt footage and visual effects scenes at iconic Abu Dhabi landmarks with twofour54 intaj providing the production services.

Abu Dhabi Film Commission has attracted various international film productions, including the soon-to-be released Hollywood thriller from Sony Pictures Entertainment, Deliver us from Evil, Syrian production company Clacket’s The Brothers and the BBC’s Top Gear.

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