Paul Walker was a huge part of the Fast & Furious franchise. The actor played Brian O'Conner for the first seven films in the series, up until his untimely death in 2013. Walker and his co-star Vin Diesel, who plays Dominic Toretto in the franchise, became close friends as they worked on the movies together—so close, in fact, that Diesel is the godfather of Walker's only daughter, Meadow Walker. Since his friend and co-star died in a car accident, Diesel has ensured that Walker's memory lives on, both on screen and off. In the films, Walker makes posthumous appearances and Diesel even named his youngest daughter Pauline Sinclair in his friend's honor. Recently, Diesel revealed a promise he and Walker made to each other years ago that he plans to stick to. Read on to find out one more way Diesel is honoring Walker.
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Vin Diesel and Paul Walker promised each other they would make 10 Fast and Furious movies.
Dave J Hogan/Getty ImagesIn the June 2021 cover story of Men's Health, Diesel revealed a moment with Walker that shows how much the Fast and Furious movies meant to the late actor. "We walked into this bodega, and people just cannot believe that Dom and Brian are walking into a bodega," Diesel recalled. "One of the guys called him Brian. And when we left, and we were in the car, he said, 'That’s my favorite thing. It’s my favorite thing when people call me Brian.'"
Diesel said that moment always stuck with him because it showed how much pride Walker took in Brian. "To him, it was a beautiful compliment," Diesel said. "I still think about it to this day because it just says so much that there was so much pride in this iconic character he created. It was his creation, his superhero, and that moment represented a simpler life, I guess."
That memory makes Diesel protective of the film franchise and Walker's legacy, and he's determined to fulfill a promise they had made to each other. "It made me want to protect that even more because that mountain looming that is Fast 10—that’s what we promised each other, that we would take this franchise and end it at Fast 10," Diesel said.
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Diesel makes sure Walker's presence is felt throughout the Fast and Furious films.
ShutterstockThe most recent Fast and Furious movie, F9, will be released on June 25. Although Walker hasn't been around for the eighth and ninth Fast and Furious movies, the character of Brian was never killed off, just written out of the storyline so that his presence is felt.
While on Today on June 22, anchor Natalie Morales said to Diesel, "You clearly bring up Paul and his legacy throughout the film, as well. He’s never gone. He's never forgotten in this franchise." Diesel jumped in and said, "Ever, ever, ever. I never think I'm continuing the franchise in his absence. I always feel like I'm continuing the franchise in his honor."
Jordana Brewster also pays tribute to Walker in F9 in a subtle way.
Carlos Alvarez/Getty ImagesActor Jordana Brewster, who plays Brian's partner and Dom's sister Mia Toretto in the Fast and Furious movies, also revealed a small, subtle tribute she makes to Walker in F9 recently. At the film's premiere on June 18, Brewster told E! News that she had bracelets made for F9 that give a nod to Walker—one has the name Brian on it and the others say Olivia and Jack, the names of Mia and Brian's kids.
Brewster says she kept the bracelets "as mementos" and took them home with her. She told the outlet Walker will always hold a special place in her heart. "I had a crush on him from [movie] four to, like, seven," she said. "I never got to tell him that, but I think on many levels he knew."
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Diesel says the 10th Fast and Furious movie will be the beginning of the end.
Ralph Orlowski/Getty ImagesUniversal Pictures announced in Oct. 2020 that the Fast and Furious saga will have a two-part ending. In addition to Diesel and Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, and Sung Kang will return for the big finale, Deadline has reported.
Though Diesel is thinking of it as one play in two acts, the final installment of Fast and Furious will be two separate movies, a tenth and eleventh film, like The Hunger Games and Harry Potter before it. They have no release date yet, but Diesel told the AP he believes they could come out in 2023 and 2024, respectively. "I know people are going to feel like it doesn’t have to end, but I think all good things should," he said. "There are reasons for a finale. I think this franchise has deserved it. ... The franchise has a soul, and that soul has to rest."
Director Justin Lin told the AP it was Diesel's idea to start saying goodbye to Toretto and his extended family. "We got together and Vin says, 'I think we should think about closing up the saga now,'" said Lin, who will direct the final two movies.
Diesel told Men's Health that he and Lin are already working on the tenth movie. A few weeks ago, Lin visited him in the Dominican Republic, and they spent four days together, riding bikes, sitting by the water, and conjuring up the conclusion for Fast and Furious. “It built the foundation for the next chapter,” Lin told Men's Health.
"On some level, there is that voice that says, 'My God, you’ve done it, you’ve created this mythology out of scratch,'" Diesel told the outlet. "But the Fast finale weighs on me. Right now Fast 10 is Everest.”
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