The filming of Fast X keeps getting talked about these days. After the departure of filmmaker Justin Lin, replaced by Louis Leterrier, a new twist has just shaken the production of the new opus in the saga carried by Vin Diesel. Indeed, Cheryl Walker, the mother of the late Paul Walker, would like Brian O’Connor, the character played by her son, to return to the license. Explanations.
Fast X: Louis Leterrier to the rescue
While filming Fast X had just started, the ancestral director of the franchise, Justin Lin decided to quit his job just days after production began. He first claimed artistic differences with Universal, but it was in fact the behavior of Vin Diesel which would have pushed the director to eat his cap. Indeed, apparently, Vin Diesel arrives late every day, does not know his text, and does not have the physical form necessary to step into the skin of Dominic Toretto.
Faced with this unexpected abandonment, Universal turned to French filmmaker Louis Leterrier to stage Fast X. Currently playing with Far from the Periph on Netflix, Leterrier is a regular at Hollywood productions since he notably staged Clash of the Titans, Elusive or The Incredible Hulk. In addition to the usual cast, Fast X will introduce two newcomers to the Fast Family: Brie Larson and Jason Momoa. Expected release May 24, 2023.
Brian O’Connor back soon?
In 2013, the license Fast and Furious experienced an unprecedented earthquake. Comedian Paul Walker, who played Brian O’Connor, central character of the saga, since the very first opus, dies in a car accidentduring the filming of Fast and Furious 7. The filmmaker James Wan, then at the head of this episode, also pays him a vibrant tribute at the end of the film.
Since, even if the character is not dead within the license, Brian obviously never reappeared (even if the various characters regularly refer to him). But at the end of Fast and Furious 9, Brian’s car drives inleaving some doubt as to a possible return of the character via computer graphics.
A theory that has just gained in relevance since Cheryl Walker, the mother of Paul Walker, has just made a surprising statement. Indeed, she would have asked Vin Diesel to bring back to the screen the character embodied by his late son. Especially since Fast X will mark 10 years since the death of Paul Walker. Here are the words of Vin Diesel on his Instagram account:
When Paul’s mother asks me to bring Brian back to the screen, I can’t tell you how seriously I take that request. Fast wouldn’t be what it is without the love and brotherhood between Dom and Brian that started in 2001.
Vin Diesel often returns to the death of his friend. He regularly reminds that not a day of filming on Fast and Furious takes place without the team thinking about Paul Walker. He had notably declared during the promotion of Fast and Furious 9 that :
Not a moment, a day, a scene, a line of dialogue goes by without my brother Pablo (Paul Walker) guiding me. And guides the production of Fast… I would say that Fast will always be the representation of eternal brotherhood.
After the death of Paul Walker in 2013, his brothers Caleb and Codylent their faces to complete the filming of Fast and Furious 7 instead of Paul Walker. The head of the latter was then added digitally. A process which could therefore be reused in Fast X. Caleb Walker had even declared to USA Today that :
I hope we will be offered some kind of cameo to bring back Paul who could save everyone. I could help them with that. It’s my dream and I hope we can do that in one of the future movies.
Thus, the return of the character now seems more than likely. So who’s hot for a Brian O’Connor comeback?
