furious 7
"Furious 7" will hit theaters April 3, 2015. The trailer for the latest "Fast & Furious" film features late actor Paul Walker. From left are cast members Tyrese Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez, Walker and Ludacris. Universal Studios

The launch of the latest “Fast & Furious” film is quickly approaching. Almost a year after star Paul Walker’s death, the powers behind the hit movie franchise released the first trailer for “Furious 7.” The action film, set to make its debut in April 2015, was the 40-year-old actor’s final project before his deadly car accident last November.

Universal Studios’ “Furious 7” official site began its “7 Days of 7” promotion Oct. 26. Fans of the saga were treated to everything from a look back at the franchise to photographs of the forthcoming installment to a sneak peek at some of the cars to be featured in it. The promotional event all came to a head Nov. 1 with the launch of the first trailer for the seventh movie, recently renamed “Furious 7.”

The Pick Up

“Furious 7” will be following in the wake of the events in 2013’s “Furious 6.” Fans of the “Fast & Furious” series will remember that Owen Shaw (Luke Evans) was the main antagonist in the sixth installment. The former special-operations mercenary intended to bomb the capital of the U.K., and went up against Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) and the rest of their team. Along the way, Mia (Jordana Brewster), Dominic’s sister and Brian’s girlfriend, was kidnapped by Shaw. In the end, everything worked out. Dominic was able to stop Shaw and his crew, killing the former when the SUV he was in flew out of the cargo section of the plane that they were fighting in.

Shaw might be dead, but the drama will pick up in “Furious 7.” The trailer reveals that Ian Shaw (Jason Statham) will be seeking revenge against Dominic, Brian and the rest of the crew for the death of his brother.

High Action

The “Furious 7” trailer immediately begins with high action, but the film is taking it up a level from the previous six films.

“Just when you didn’t think it could get any better, huh,” Walker’s character says as the team’s cars fly out of a transport plane.

Other action highlights include Statham’s character casually walking away from an explosion and Dwayne Johnson’s Hobbs flexing his muscles to break a cast on his arm. And, of course, it wouldn’t be a “Fast & Furious” movie without some street racing and totaled cars.

Kurt Russell

“Fast & Furious” newcomer Kurt Russell makes an appearance in the “Furious 7” trailer. IGN previously revealed that Russell’s character was supposed to be a father figure for Brian O’Conner. However, the actor stated his character is “really more connected to Vin [Diesel’s] character.” But that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily a good guy. The trailer doesn’t reveal much about the character, which means that fans will have to watch the film to see how he ties into it all.

Paul Walker’s Last Ride

The “Furious 7” trailer kind of plays like a tribute to Paul Walker. The actor is shown as a hero in the video, rescuing victims and fearlessly leaping off a bus that is plummeting off a cliff.

There is no denying that his passing last year deeply affected the movie and those who worked on it, as E Online indicated. The trailer appears to play to this theme with Diesel’s line (around the 1:50 mark), “One last ride.” But what will really tug at the heartstrings of fans is when his character says: “I don’t have friends … I got family.”

“Furious 7” was delayed after Walker’s tragic death. Production was put on hold for the cast and crew to mourn the actor -- and for the studio to come up with a solution to finish Walker’s final scenes in the movie. Ultimately, Universal Studios decided to enlist the help of the late star’s brothers, Cody and Caleb Walker, to stand in. It chose to “retire” Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, rather than kill him off.

Viewers can see Paul Walker when “Furious 7” hits theaters April 3, 2015.