Above is a photo of Paul Walker with his two brothers, Cody and Caleb, at the 2005 premiere of Into The Blue. The older brother, Caleb, looks just like Paul and I would suspect that over the years Cody has grown closer in looks to his brother as well.

With all the coverage following Walker’s tragic death last November, I’m surprised we didn’t hear about his brothers at all. There’s something comforting in knowing that he had two brothers who were there for him during his rise in Hollywood. Paul’s brothers will be there for him after his passing as well. Fast and The Furious producers have announced that Paul’s brothers will step in to help film the actor’s scenes that are needed to finish Fast & Furious 7. It sounds like most of the filming was done already and that they’ll just be filling in. For some reason this touched me. Here’s the announcement that was made on Facebook:

A Note to the Fans of FAST & FURIOUS

The FAST & FURIOUS saga is about family. The characters are connected by the bond of family, and it is how all of us who have worked together for more than thirteen years feel about each other. It certainly defines how we feel about our fans.

Our family experienced an unthinkable shock in November. We had to take time to grieve Paul, the brother we love and lost, and to figure out if we should move on with our film.

We came together and all felt the only choice was to continue. We believe our fans want that, and we believe Paul would want that too. Paul had already shot his dramatic scenes and most of his action for FAST & FURIOUS 7, and it’s among the strongest work of his career.

We have resumed shooting and now welcome Paul’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, into our FAST family. Caleb and Cody are helping us complete some remaining action for their brother and fill in small gaps left in production. Having them on set has made us all feel that Paul is with us too.

We are just under a year away from the release of FAST & FURIOUS 7, and this film is the most important we’ve ever done together. It will allow the character of Brian O’Conner to live on and let us celebrate Paul in his most defining role.

We wanted to take a moment to speak to our fans directly and thank you for the love and support you always show us as we resume our work.

[From Facebook]

What a heartfelt statement that is. I have nothing but respect and praise for the way that F&F, and all the cast, have handled themselves in the wake of Paul’s death. You can tell that they were close and that his passing affected them all deeply. Production was shut down on F&F 7 after Walker died and then they waited several months before figuring out what to do about Paul’s scenes. By hiring his brothers, it’s a fitting tribute to a man whom they loved and respected and is a much better way to approach this than just relying on CGI. Plus Paul’s brothers look just like him so it’s also common sense.

I’m not an action movie fan and I haven’t kept up with the Fast and Furious series, but I may have to start watching them now.

Did you see the tribute to Paul Walker that aired at the MTV Movie Awards? It was presented by Jordana Brewster, who played Paul’s love interest in the films. She was visibly choked up and it got to me.

Thousands paid tribute to Paul Walker and Roger Rodas in Valencia. @SteveKuzj reports. http://t.co/vILc8b0xGo – pic.twitter.com/lTXaQfRycX

— KTLA (@KTLA) December 9, 2013

Photo credit: WENN.com, FameFlynet and Getty Images