Paul Walker's character is 'very much alive' in the fictional Fast and Furious world.
Fast X director Louis Leterrier has teased how Paul's character will feature in the final offering from the franchise - explaining how Walker's loved ones were involved in the decision.
The late actor was best known for playing former cop Brian O'Conner in the action movies prior to his passing in 2013, with his death occurring during the filming of the seventh movie in the Fast & Furious franchise.
According to reports at the time, the star had left a charity event and was riding in the passenger seat of a Porsche Carrera GT, when the driver lost control. The car slammed into a post or a tree, and burst into flames, according to a report.
With the help of CGI, script rewrites and the late actor's brother Caleb and Cody Walker as stand-ins, Furious 7 was able to complete production and give Paul's character a fitting ending - with Brian literally driving off into the sunset after an emotional goodbye with Dominic "Dom" Toretto ( Vin Diesel).
Since Furious 7, and Paul's untimely death, two more films from the franchise have been released with a third planned to hit movie theatres later this year. Each feature has seen Paul's character live on and it looks like Fast X will be no different.
"Well, Brian is very much alive in the world of Fast and Furious and they’ve teased him a lot in the previous movies," Fast X director Leterrier explains.
"In 9, we see the car coming. It’s something that is planned. This movie jumps back and forth between the past and the present."
Speaking to TotalFilm, the director goes on to explain how Paul's family are still part of the Fast and Furious family and approved of the decision to show the late actor's character Brian 'in the past' in Fast X.
"You will see Brian in the past, you won't see Brian in the present," Leterrier adds. "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."
Fast X will see stars like Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jordana Brewster, and Charlize Theron return once again – as well as Paul's close friend Vin, who reprises his role of Dominic once again.
Vin, who walked Paul's daughter Meadow down the aisle when she tied the knot, often pays tribute to his late friend on Instagram - particularly ahead of a new movie being released.
In June 2021, ahead of the ninth main instalment from the race car franchise being released, and Vin decided to mark the occasion with a sweet snap of himself and Paul.
Posting to his 70.5 million Instagram followers, Vin captioned the throwback picture: "Weeks away from the F9 release... in preproduction for the finale that starts only months from now... @meadowwalker sends me this image and tells me how happy the photo makes her feel.
"Naturally, one gets filled with emotion, purpose and ultimately gratitude. Eternal brotherhood is a blessing beyond words. Hope to make you proud... All love, Always."
The first ever offering from the franchise was released back in 2001, with The Fast and the Furious hitting cinemas across the world and shattering box office expectations - earning more than 40 million dollars on its opening weekend.
Since then, the street-racing saga has spawned multiple sequels and spin-offs and become one of the biggest movie franchises of all time, ranking seventh as the highest-grossing film series ever.
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