Could Brian race his way back into what is likely going to be the final Fast & Furious movie?
Paul Walker tragically died in a car crash on November 30, 2013, while filming was still in progress on Fast 7.
The director and crew used CGI visual effects and Walker's real-life brothers, Cody and Caleb, as body doubles to finish his remaining scenes. In the Fast Universe, Brian O'Conner is living a peaceful life in retirement with his family.
Fast Forever, currently scheduled to hit theaters on March 17, 2028, is officially being developed as the final installment in the main Fast & Furious timeline. It will close out a franchise that began all the way back in 2001.
With the final film on the horizon, there have been some rumblings, thanks to cryptic social media posts from Vin Diesel, that Brian O'Conner could return, but it was assumed that the same techniques used to finish Fast 7, specifically using CGI to alter Cody and Caleb Walker to look like Paul, would be utilized.
However, according to Cody, that's not the case.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Paul Walker's younger brother stated, "My stance is, it’s what [Paul’s daughter] Meadow wants to see done; it’s her father. I would not be interested in doing that again."
He explained that he's simply happy with the way the character was handled in Fast 7, but it's up to Paul's daughter.
"I love the way his character exited the franchise. They didn’t kill him off; they didn’t do something cheesy like that. It’s beautiful; [Brian] is off raising his kids. But if they want to do that, if Meadow would like to see that, they don’t need me or Caleb. AI was not a thing back in 2014, so they could do that. There are years of footage that was never used from these other Fast films. They’re the best in the business; they can figure that out.”
Fast Forever will serve as the 11th and end of the road for the main Fast franchise, targeting a March 17, 2028 release date. While Fast X director Louis Leterrier is presumed to be returning to wrap things up, Vin Diesel has dropped hints that he might actually step behind the camera to direct the finale personally.
A rotating lineup of writers, including Christina Hodson, Oren Uziel, and Michael Leslie, have all contributed to shaping the final script.
All of the core "Fast Family" and major franchise stars are expected to return, including Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty Ortiz, Jordana Brewster as Mia Toretto, Tyrese Gibson as Roman, and Ludacris as Tej.
Other likely cast members include Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as Hobbs, Jason Statham as Shaw, Charlize Theron as Cipher, and Gal Gadot as Gisele.