When filming for Furious 7 began no one expected that they would lose one of their stars. For those that may not know, Paul Walker, who played Brian O'Conner in the franchise, tragically died in a car crash in November, 2013.

Instead of removing the character, the film's producer, Neal Moritz, decided they would pay tribute to Walker and kept him in the film.

At the SXSW premiere for the seventh installment of The Fast and the Furious franchise, Walker was honored by Moritz. "I know Paul Walker would be smiling down on us," he said, "We lost a dear friend, brother and comrade when we were making this movie. When we decided to continue this movie, we were determined to honor his legacy."

Others who were at the premiere that honored him were his co-star Tyrese Gibson, screenwriter Chris Morgan and director James Wan.

Released for the public via a private screening, the Furious 7 film has received a lot of praise. According to Telegraph, when Walker's character appeared on screen, the audience cheered and clapped for the late actor.

"The Fast and Furious films are about two things, family and getting to watch a slew of explosive car stunts," said Perri Nemiroff from IGN who attended the screening, "And in that respect, Furious 7 delivers big, and perhaps even bigger than ever."

In order to keep Walker in the film, the crew had to finish filming the character using computer generated technology and stunt doubles, who just so happened to be Walker's two brothers Caleb and Cody.

The audience was asked not to spoil anything, and fans have revealed the film's brilliance while remaining tight-lipped as they discuss their experiences, in brief, over various social media sites.

Furious 7 releases in theaters on April 3.