Vin Diesel has teased the potential return of Paul Walker’s character to the Fast and Furious franchise, 12 years after the actor’s death.
Walker, who died in a fatal car crash in November 2013 aged 40, played undercover police officer turned street racer Brian O’Conner in six of the first seven Fast and Furious films.
His final appearance was in 2015’s Furious 7, with his younger brothers, Cody and Caleb, standing in for their sibling as body doubles to help complete scenes that weren’t finished before his death.
Although that film featured an emotional and memorable farewell for Walker’s character, Diesel has since hinted that fans could get to see Walker’s character again.
According to Variety, Diesel shared the news at Fuel Fest, a car enthusiast event in Pomona, California, where he was joined on stage by fellow Fast and Furious star Tyrese Gibson and Walker’s brother, Cody.
The 57-year-old told the crowd what to expect from the final Fast and Furious film, stating: “The studio said to me, ‘Vin, can we please have the finale of ‘Fast and Furious’ [in] April 2027?' I said, ‘Under three conditions.’ First, is to bring the franchise back to L.A.! The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing! The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner.”
It’s not clear exactly what Diesel meant by this comment and how Walker could return to the series following his death. It’s likely the star would have to be digitally inserted into scenes if they were to use Walker’s likeness.
The actor’s daughter, Meadow Walker, made an appearance in 2023’s Fast X in a small cameo as a flight attendant.
In an Instagram post, she wrote: “The first Fast was released when I was one year old! I grew up on set watching my father, Vin [Diesel], Jordana [Brewster], Michelle [Rodriguez], Chris [Bridges aka Ludacris] and more on the monitors. Thanks to my dad, I was born into the Fast family.”
“I can’t believe now I get to be up there too. With those who have been around to see me grow up,” she continued. “I am so blessed to be able to honour my father’s legacy and share this with him forever.”
Fast X proved a huge hit upon release, grossing more than $700m (£509m) at the worldwide box office.
A follow-up is yet to be officially announced but a mid-credits scene did see the surprise return of Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson as Luke Hobbs, having previously announced his departure from the franchise in 2021. He said he would not be appearing in any more films amid a rumoured feud with co-star Vin Diesel.
