Vin Diesel, known for his role in the Fast and Furious series, has sparked excitement among fans with a suggestion that Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, might return to the big screen.
Paul Walker, who portrayed Brian O’Conner, passed away at the age of 40 in November 2013. He tragically died alongside Roger Rodas in a car accident in California while driving in a 45mph zone. Despite his untimely death, Walker made posthumous appearances in Furious 7, with his brothers Cody and Caleb Walker standing in for unfinished scenes, and in Fast X through the use of archival footage.
As anticipation builds for the upcoming Fast X: Part 2, set to release in April 2027, Diesel provided some insights to Fuel Fest attendees regarding what the next installment of the franchise might entail.
“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 LA! The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing! The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner,” he revealed, referencing his own character Dominic Toretto.
The details of how Brian O’Conner might be reintroduced are still unknown, but fans and car enthusiasts have mixed feelings about the idea.
One comment on social media platform X questioned, “Whatever happened to letting people Rest in Peace!?”
Another person suggested, “If the Fast and Furious franchise was smart, they would recast the role of Brian with Cody Walker, brother of Paul Walker, in the role, instead of using CGI.”
A third individual commented: “Please let him rest dude cmon. He went out perfectly with see you again playing, bringing him back would be a disgrace.”
On the other hand, some support the idea under certain conditions. “As long as it’s done with his family’s permission and they do what they did with Paul’s brothers in Furious 7, I personally don’t think this is a bad thing,” wrote one person. “What happened to Paul was a tragedy and he deserved to be there til the very end. This way he gets to be a part of the end of the franchise.”
This discussion follows the appearance of Walker’s daughter, Meadow, who had a cameo role as a flight attendant in 2023’s Fast X. The movie grossed over $714 million (£520 million) at the global box office.
In an Instagram post at the time of the movie’s release, the 26-year-old shared with her followers: “The first Fast was released when I was one year old! I grew up on set watching my father, Vin, 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. I am so blessed to be able to honour my father’s legacy and share this with him forever.”
Walker and Diesel shared a brotherly bond rather than just being colleagues, as illustrated by a humorous clip that resurfaced last year, showing Walker wearing a baldcap to impersonate Diesel on set.