On Saturday, Paul Walker tragically perished in a car accident while on break from shooting Fast and Furious 7. Understandably, his death has sent that production into a re-evaluation period, but for those eager to visit Walker on the big screen soon, THR has good news. The Walker vehicle Hours will be opening in December as previously planned.
The independent feature written and directed by Eric Heisserer is a different brand of thriller than Walker is most often associated with. Instead of physics defying car chases and jaw dropping stunts, Hours offers a tension-filled story of one man's efforts to save his infant daughter when the world around him is falling into chaos. Walker stars as Nolan, a husband and soon-to-be father who rushes his wife (Genesis Rodriguez) to a New Orleans hospital as a storm brews outside. Nolan is devastated when his beloved wife dies in childbirth. But when Hurricane Katrina rolls in, he commits himself to protecting their infant daughter who must remain in an incubator whatever the costs. This means defending his baby girl against losing power, the storm and any other threats that might arise in the mayhem of post-Katrina New Orleans.
Check out the trailer for Hours below:
Yesterday morning, executives from Pantelion Films and Lionsgate met to discuss the future of Hours, but ultimately decided opening the film as planned would be the best way to honor Walker. "After lots of back and forth, this is our decision. It's Paul's tour de force. He's in every frame of the movie," Pantelion CEO Paul Presburger explained to THR.
Hours producer Peter Safran, who'd previously worked with the actor on Vehicle 19, echoed this sentiment, saying:
"Paul would have very much wanted us to move forward. He was incredibly proud of this project. We did a press junket two weeks ago, and I remember sitting with him and how excited he was for people to see this movie. He really looked to this movie to show people that he is an actor. He was looking for something to showcase his acting skills, which he so rarely had the chance to do. He hit it out of the park."
Safran went on to add, "Hours embodies a message that was so important to him, which is that you have to do everything you can to keep friends and family safe." The subject matter of the film is said to have resonated with Walker, whose philanthropy included founding Reach Out Worldwide, which gave aid to survivors of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It was at a Reach Out event to raise funds for victims of Typhoon Haiyan that Walker went on the Porsche Carerra GT test ride that killed him. Presburger and Safran have suggested that part of the proceeds of Hours might be donated to Walker's charity in his honor, but no final decision has yet been made there.
Pantelion Films and Lionsgate will simultaneously open Hours on December 13th in 15 U.S. cities and on VOD.
