Two years after a fiery, fatal car crash[2] that claimed Paul Walker, the "Fast & Furious" franchise announced that his character may return thanks to some cinematic magic.
Walker's death occurred near the end of filming "Furious 7," but shooting wasn't fully complete. Universal finished shooting and recruited Walker's brothers—along with CGI effects[3]—to help fill in for Walker. (Most people didn't even realize it wasn't Walker, unless you had a keen eye.)
ALSO SEE: Rare update on Michael Schumacher reveals he cannot walk[4]
Fans of the franchise will note that the end of the movie was rewritten to give Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, a proper send off.
Cashing in on the lucrative worth of the franchise, Universal went all-in with "Fast & Furious" by committing to making another three movies[5]—even without one of its biggest stars.
Now, Entertainment Weekly[6] reports that Walker's brothers could step in again to reprise the O'Conner character.
In an interview with ET, the brothers say maybe we haven't seen the last of O'Conner. They even said the character could make an appearance down the road in the franchise.
It seems Vin Diesel led the charge on this during 90-minute phone call asking the brothers, "would it be acceptable to maybe bring Paul's character back... to really kind of let his fans know he's still out there."
Walker's brother Cody also said, "Universal wants to make sure to be respectful of Paul and his image too, and his family."
There have been many lawsuits[7], disputes[8], and settlements[9] since Walker died after the car he was riding in with long-time friend Roger Rodas crashed, killing both of them.
Whether we'll see Brian O'Conner again in a future Fast & Furious[10] movie is yet to be seen, but clearly the idea is being floated. There will be a total of 10 movies[11] in the franchise—that is unless they decide to do more.
References
- ^ Enlarge Photo (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ fiery, fatal car crash (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ CGI effects (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ Rare update on Michael Schumacher reveals he cannot walk (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ three movies (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ Entertainment Weekly (www.ew.com)
- ^ lawsuits (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ disputes (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ settlements (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ Fast & Furious (www.motorauthority.com)
- ^ total of 10 movies (www.motorauthority.com)
