Fast & Furious

Paul Walker could be standing tall in San Clemente thanks to some surfer bros who begged the City Council for a statue of their hero "in the midst of gnarly times."

Self-proclaimed freelance journalist Chad Kroeger made the pitch at last Tuesday's meeting, and his rationale for the 12 foot Paul statue is comedy gold ... and also, kinda touching. Chad's buddy gets up there too for some fond words on "unifying figure" Paul.

Dude, we can't even describe it ... you just have to watch this.

Vin Diesel just scored an incredibly powerful ally in his war with The Rock ... Tyrese.

Vin's "Fast 8" co-star just made it clear ... it's Vin who is the driving force behind the franchise, and people like Rock need to respect that.

Tyrese posted a pic with the caption, "I've always said that if ONLY people knew how hard you work to protect this franchise and characters, minds would be blown," adding, "I'm so f****** proud to call you my family and my brother."

And then the hammer ... "if no one else will jump out there and stand up I will."

Vin also got vague support from fellow 'Furious' co-star Ludacris, who just posted a pic of the cast ... sans Rock.

War still raging.

The crew has chosen sides in the "Fast 8" feud between The Rock and Vin Diesel ... and Rock wins, hands down.

Production sources tell TMZ, The Rock has been upset with Vin's work ethic for a long time, and he's not alone. Members of the crew tell us Vin was often 30 minutes to an hour late to shoot scenes ... and it wasn't because he was late to the set -- he was simply in his trailer and wouldn't come out.

We're told Vin didn't like Monday 7 AM calls so production was forced to make the start time 10 AM to accommodate him.

And the crew felt Vin's arrogance was out of control, especially because he had a producer title. We're told he wouldn't listen to anyone and would goad people, including The Rock, by criticizing their acting.

The crew has a vastly different view of The Rock. They say he's the ultimate professional who is always on time and always nails his scenes. They also say he's easy to work with.

As we reported, Vin and Rock have been clashing for a long time and it came to a head Monday when Rock exploded on social media, calling out a male co-star (it's Vin) for being unprofessional.

And as we told you, Vin confronted Rock Tuesday in Rock's trailer, but their issues remain unresolved.

Vin Diesel has secrets he's now going to share ... about what appears to be an excruciating experience riddled with conflict ... but so far, nothing.

Vin posted this video, in which he obliquely refers to his war with "Fast 8" co-star The Rock.

Vin captioned the video, "So much has gone in this year. I can't believe I wrapped two back to back pictures I both starred in and produced. Now I get to return to my family, my life ... To me."

Interesting he says "starred and produced." The producing part, we're told, is part of the conflict he had with The Rock.

Actor Cole Hauser was arrested for DUI after cops say he almost crashed on an L.A. freeway.

According to the arrest report, Hauser -- best known for his role as Carter Verone in "2 Fast 2 Furious" -- drifted in and out of lanes Sunday on the 101. Cops took notice and pulled him over.

Police say Hauser seemed drunk, and after a field sobriety test he was cuffed and taken to the station, where he was booked for DUI.

He's out on $15k bail.

Michelle Rodriguez could not be clearer ... no one can fill Paul Walker's shoes in the 8th 'Fast & Furious' flick ... not even Scott Eastwood.

Eastwood's onboard for the new flick, along with Charlize Theron ... but Michelle bristled at LAX Wednesday .... Scott's a cool dude, but Paul was simply irreplaceable.

Walker's death is still a touchy subject for Michelle, who recently confessed she was sad she didn't die before her beloved co-star.

A horse went down like the Titanic near the "Fast 8" set in Iceland after gale force winds sent a fake iceberg flying into a paddock where the animal was grazing.

Local police tell us the horse, named Jupiter, had to be euthanized. Strong winds sent a portion of a plastic iceberg -- a set piece for the movie -- flying and it struck the horse, breaking its leg. Another horse was also injured but is expected to recover.

Neither was involved in the production -- just a case of wrong time and place.

We're told production called the horse owner and broke the news but said insurance would cover the cost of the horse and fence repair.

The overlooked stunt crew from Furious 7 can finally hold their heads high and revel in the success of their billion dollar movie ... because the studio will be adding their names to the ending credits.

As we previously reported ... 25 people who performed the death-defying stunts for the movie -- including the driving scenes -- were mysteriously nixed from the ending credits. The crew was irate, and even stars like Michelle Rodriguez, spoke out in support.

Now sources close to the production tell us Universal has decided to include the entire 2nd Unit team to the DVD and future releases of the movie.

Michelle Rodriguez is taking up the cause of the people who make her look good on camera … saying the stunt crew of "Furious 7" needs to have their names in the credits ... so they can get work.

Rodriguez was leaving The Nice Guy Wednesday night in WeHo when our photog asked about a story TMZ broke … 25 members of the second unit on the film -- who are responsible for several key sequences -- got left out of the credits.

M-Rod, said she didn't know if the story is legit, but if it is they have reason to be pissed off, because credits are the key to getting gigs. But Michelle cautioned, some people claiming to co-stunt aren't legit.

Debbie Evans, who does Michelle's stunts, complained on TMZ Live Wednesday that the 25 stunt people were wrongly left out.

The Rock, Vin Diesel, and Paul Walker are all names you will see at the end of "Furious 7" ... problem is the people actually responsible for most of the adrenaline pumping action are irate because they were left out of the end credits.

Sources directly connected with production tell us, the 2nd unit crew was responsible for all the major action ... including the parachuting car scene and the mountain road chase.

We're told the stunt team members feel like they were "punched in the gut" when they realized 25 members of their team -- many of whom risked their lives -- were left out of the credits.

And get this ... Paul Walker's 2nd unit stunt double -- who was inside a bus as it fell off a cliff -- was uncredited.

We contacted Universal ... they told us they're looking into it.

A critical scene for the upcoming "Fast & Furious 7" came to a screeching halt Thursday ... after studio suits pulled the plug because it was just too dangerous ... too risky.

Sources connected with the production tell TMZ ... the shoot was being prepped at the Willow Springs International Raceway near Palmdale -- 45 minutes from where Paul Walker tragically died.

Members of the crew tell TMZ ... producers brought in drivers who are "authentic street racers" for the scene, where a souped-up yellow Chevelle races another car and dramatically pops a wheelie, as bystanders stand right by the track and cheer. A similar scene appeared in the first F&F.

The scene was being prepped for several days. Vin Diesel and other stars were there. But just before filming, we're told the suits from Universal abruptly cancelled the shoot, saying it was too dangerous.

Someone who was at the track tells TMZ ... a person from the production told some staffers they couldn't get the proper insurance to shoot the race.

But the word circulating among the staff is that they are extremely cautious because of what happened to the star of their movie. They believe a second crash -- even though Paul's was not film-related -- could jeopardize the entire franchise.

Paul Walker's brother Cody made Malibu beachgoers do a double take Monday as he shot scenes with Tyrese, Vin Diesel, Ludacris and Michelle Rodriguez for "Fast and Furious 7."

Cody is filling in the gaps ... shooting Paul's unfinished scenes. As TMZ first reported, Cody and his brother Caleb will also do voice work to match Paul.

Walker died November 30 while the film was still in production.

Ludacris can't afford to pay thousands of dollars in child support -- and he's blaming his financial woes on the death of his "Fast and Furious" co-star Paul Walker.

Ludacris was in court Wednesday with his baby mama, Tamika Fuller ... who's demanding Luda pay her $15K a month to take care of his 2-month-old baby daughter, Cai.

But Luda went to court and told the judge ... he was counting on "Fast and Furious 7" money to make his payments, and the movie is now on hold so his payday went away.

Luda claims he can only pay $1,800 a month -- confessing he only made around $55K for 2013.

The judge split the baby down the middle, ordering Luda to pay 7K a month for now ... while hizzoner reviews all the financial docs.

Tyrese Gibson claims his baby mama is using Paul Walker's death to shame him in their child custody war ... TMZ has learned.

Norma Gibson filed court docs claiming Tyrese is a bad dad, who should have stayed in L.A. to spend time with their 6-year-old daughter after Paul Walker's death ... because he had time on his hands since "Fast & Furious 7" was put on hold.

Norma says Tyrese blew off his little girl, choosing instead to go "gallivanting throughout Dubai ... staying in expensive hotels ... partying on yachts, sky-diving with other movie stars, driving expensive cars, and making special appearances in night clubs."

But sources close to Tyrese say he's indignant Norma is using Paul ... and he went to Dubai on business. He had 4 gigs and he needed the money -- ironically to pay the child support Norma was demanding.