It’s always been tricky to handle Paul Walker’s real-life death in the Fast and the Furious movies. When the actor tragically passed away during the production of Furious 7, it left a hole in the franchise that the filmmakers have yet to fill.
Despite Walker passing away, they’ve kept his character Brian O’Conner alive in the films and while he hasn’t appeared on screen yet, Fast X director Louis Leterrier has confirmed in a recent interview with Total Film that the character will return, but notes, “Brian has to re-enter the franchise as perfectly as he left it.”
“Brian is very much alive in the world of Fast & Furious, and they’ve teased him a lot in the previous movies. In 9, we see the car coming,” he continues. “It’s something that is planned. This movie jumps back and forth between the past and the present. You will see Brian in the past; you won’t see Brian in the present. It’s something that everybody has to be on board with. The Walker family is still very much a part of this franchise; you’ll see how in this movie. It just has to be the right moment, the right tone.”
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Fans will have to wait and see how they handle the character’s return, but it will likely be an emotional moment for the Fast and Furious family.
Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.
In 2011’s Fast Five, Dom and his crew took out nefarious Brazilian drug kingpin Hernan Reyes and decapitated his empire on a bridge in Rio De Janeiro. What they didn’t know was that Reyes’ son, Dante (Aquaman’s Jason Momoa), witnessed it all and has spent the last 12 years masterminding a plan to make Dom pay the ultimate price.
Dante’s plot will scatter Dom’s family from Los Angeles to the catacombs of Rome, from Brazil to London and from Portugal to Antarctica. New allies will be forged and old enemies will resurface. But everything changes when Dom discovers that his own 8-year-old son (Leo Abelo Perry, Black-ish) is the ultimate target of Dante’s vengeance.
Fast X is directed by Louis Leterrier and features a cast that includes Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, John Cena, Jason Momoa, Brie Larson, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson, Cardi B, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Charlize Theron, and Gal Gadot.
Fast X is set to race into theaters on May 19th 2023.
