Although Furious 7 is considered to be one of the better entries of the Fast and Furious franchise, the 2015 movie is also arguably best remembered as being the final appearance of the late Paul Walker, who died in a car crash in 2013. Furious 7's story subsequently needed to be altered during filming, and the story arc for Walker's character, Brian O'Conner, was wrapped up. This also meant that Jordana Brewster's Mia Toretto departed at the end of the movie with Brian, but due to the tragic circumstances necessitating this narrative shift, Brewster was never able to say goodbye to the Fast and Furious franchise. She recalled:
I didn't say goodbye. It wasn't a choice. It doesn't mean that the door is closed forever. You never know what could happen in terms of me coming back... but it's definitely bittersweet. He was such a huge part of my life, so it didn't feel the same to not have him with us again. But the fans are the best in the world. So I haven't said goodbye. Not yet.
Like Brian O'Conner, Mia Toretto was one of the starring characters in the movie that started it all, 2001's The Fast and the Furious, and she was brought back into the excitement in 2009's , where she reignited her relationship with Brian. By Furious 7, Brian and Mia were raising a son together (with another kid on the way), making it understandable that the two of them would want to completely leave behind the life of car-centric heists and saving the world. In real life, this was the most organic way for the franchise to deal with Paul Walker no longer being around, but as Jordana Brewster told Fox News, that creative decision was out of her hands. As a result, while the actress acknowledged that the Fast and Furious movies don't feel the same without Walker anymore, she never got closure.
Fortunately for Jordana Brewster, her time with the Fast and Furious franchise isn't over yet. Vin Diesel confirmed earlier this year that Mia Toretto will be back for Fast and Furious 9, although her exact role in the movie hasn't been revealed yet. It will be interesting to see how Fast and Furious 9 handle bringing Mia back into the fold without highlighting Brian O'Conner's absence. Presumably the movie will have Brian stay at home to look after the kids while Mia teams back up with her brother and his crew. Whatever's in store, I imagine that Brewster is glad to finally be back in the Fast and Furious franchise, and while it remains to be seen if she'll also be brought back for Fast and Furious 10, the final film in the series, at least now she'll be able to give a proper goodbye.
Fast and Furious 9 races into theaters on April 10, 2020, but before that, the Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham-led spinoff Hobbs and Shaw will arrive on August 2, 2019. If you're interested in learning what movies are coming out sooner, head to our 2018 release schedule.
