Learn why the announcement comes as no surprise. Story by Matt Cummings Furious 7 has been an unqualified hit, no matter how you slice it. The death of Actor Paul Walker in 2013 nearly ended the franchise as Universal struggled to re-shoot portions of the film with Director James Wan. When it finally released on April 3rd, the high-flying car caper drew huge crowds but not overly positive critical reviews. In fact, fans themselves could make a claim that it's the weakest since the original trilogy. Even if such suggestions spark fierce debate among moviegoers, the film has surpassed the $1.1 billion mark, and has made over $300 million domestically. That's a win no matter how you slice. Part of its success was the film's poignant ending, showing Walker's character Brian O'Conner driving off into the sunset as his partner Dom (Vin Diesel) looked on. And even with that teary-eyed ending, its amazing performance dictated that a sequel be considered.