Last week the trailer was released for the highly anticipated 10th(!) instalment of the Fast and Furious franchise, Fast X.
Fan favourites such as Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and more will return to drive fast and, ya know, kick ass.
The trailer also teased the return of Paul Walker’s beloved character Brian O’Conner. The late actor sadly died in a car crash in 2013 and his final appearance came posthumously in the 2013 sequel Fast and Furious 6.
Walker’s real-life brothers also served as body doubles, meaning the former FBI agent’s presence could still be felt on screen, in addition to the use of CGI.
When asked about his decision to include Walker’s character director Louis Leterrier shared his approach and clarified that Walker’s character is still very much alive in the franchise.
“Well, Brian is very much alive in the world of Fast and Furious and they’ve teased him a lot in the previous movies,” he told TotalFilm.
“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.”
Leterrier said Walker’s family have remained part of the franchise and shared that the decision as made for Brian to be seen ‘in the past’.
“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.”
Fast X is set to kick off a two-part finale to the long-running series, with the characters noting in the trailer that the ‘end of the road’ is beginning.
Fast X is scheduled to be released May 19, 2023.