fast x December 15, 2022 2 min read
F9 director Justin Lin says the late Paul Walker’s character Brian O’Conner may yet return to the franchise in either Fast & Furious 10 or 11.
F9 director Justin Lin is considering bringing Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner, back for either Fast & Furious 10 or 11.
Lin, who is also onboard to helm the final two main films in The Fast Saga, reveals his plans during an interview with Cine POP, stating, “Obviously, Paul and his character Brian are the soul and heart of how we’re able to keep going, and that’s something I take to heart. Bringing him back is something I think about every day.”
Walker appeared in six of the first seven Fast & Furious movies, beginning with 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. Following the actor’s tragic death mid-production on 2015’s Furious 7, his brothers Caleb and Cody came aboard to serve as stand-ins to finish shooting his scenes, with Walker’s face being digitally superimposed over theirs during post-production.
“As we approach the final chapter, it’s a conversation I’m having,” Lin added. “And I think about this possibility every day. But I know the decision to keep the character alive in the universe was made while I was gone. So I have to be respectful about that decision. I need to feel good and confident in whatever we hopefully end up doing.”
Lin’s comments echo what he said in April when discussing the possibility of long-missing characters returning for the final two Fast & Furious movies. “Whatever we do, whenever we’re talking about the next chapter, I never feel like I have any restrictions,” he teased, before later adding, “Any character, in any situation, is up for discussion.”
In spite of Walker’s death, F9 makes it clear Brian O’Conner is alive and well in the Fast & Furious universe, having him stay behind to care for his and Mia’s children, along with Dom’s son Brian. What’s more, Walker’s brothers are open to bringing his character back.
“I think there could potentially be a way to do it,” said Cody Walker, speaking in Aug. 2018. “But it would take a lot of thought and it’d have to be tasteful. It would have to be tasteful. He was the real deal, the real car guy. And in his absence, I — you know — I think [The Fast Saga] lost its way in a big way.”
