After the tragic death of the beloved Paul Walker, during a break in shooting on Furious 7, the production shut down for several months for the filmmakers to figure out how to wrap up his story. The actor had shot roughly half of his scenes at the time of his death in November 2013, and when production resumed, the filmmakers brought on the late actor's brothers Cody Walker and Caleb Walker to stand in for him in certain scenes. Earlier today, a rumor surfaced that Cody Walker will return in Fast & Furious 8, except this time he will be playing his own new character. However, Polygon reached out to Universal Pictures, and the studio debunked the rumor, stating, "There's no truth behind it."

The rumor surfaced when Cody Walker's name surfaced on the IMDB page for Fast & Furious 8, although it was later removed. Back in October, Universal vice chairman Ron Meyer stated in an interview that Paul Walker's character Brian O'Connor would not be featured in future movies, but he would be "represented in some form or another." Of course, he wouldn't elaborate on how Brian O'Connor could be implemented in these future sequels, but it's possible that he may be used in flashbacks with previously-used footage, although that hasn't been confirmed.

No story details have been confirmed at this time, but the sequel is certainly shaping up to be an international affair. We reported yesterday that the production is heading to Iceland for part of its shoot this spring, where the cast and crew are planning to pull off the biggest explosion in the country's history. Another report from last month revealed that the production is eyeing a shoot in Cuba, which would make it the first major motion picture to shoot in the country in over 50 years, but the Cuba shoot hasn't been confirmed yet either.

The Fast & Furious franchise started in Los Angeles with 2001's The Fast and the Furious.The beloved film series quickly became an international affair, with its sequels set in Miami, Tokyo, Panama, Rio de Janeiro and London. No plot details have surfaced yet, but Vin Diesel teased last year that Kurt Russell's Furious 7 character Mr. Nobody will play a key role in the sequel, which would start a new trilogy. This follow-up will also bring aboard a new director, with Straight Outta Compton director F. Gary Gray taking the helm.

Aside from his role as a stand-in on Furious 7, Cody Walker will make his true acting debut in USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage, which is set to debut on May 30. Since there is very little we know about the story thus far, hopefully we'll learn more about Fast & Furious 8 before production begins this spring. Are you looking forward to seeing how the franchise will continue after the loss of Paul Walker?