The Fast and Furious franchise has evolved considerably in recent years, with the tragic death of Paul Walker playing an enormous role in that process. The late actor's brothers stepped in to help retire Brian O'Conner from the series in 2015's Furious 7 through some digital wizardry, but now it sounds like they may be interested in bringing him back for a brief appearance in future movies. Walker's brother Caleb explained:
I just hope we get to -- I don't know -- have a little cameo and bring Paul back to save the day and I get to help create that again. That's my dream and I hope we get to do that in one of the future movies.
So, it doesn't necessarily sound like Caleb Walker wants to bring Brian O'Conner back for a full-fledged starring role in one of the upcoming Fast and Furious films. That said, based on his remarks, it sounds like he thinks Brian could pop in some capacity to help "save the day," and presumably help get his friends out of trouble. Considering the fact that franchise insiders have talked about giving the main series a proper conclusion with the upcoming releases of Fast and Furious 9 and Fast and Furious 10, it would make sense to include Brian in that process and cap things off with a hero who started it all.
Of course, the potential for this to go wrong is not lost on the Walker family. With that in mind, Cody Walker continued in the interview with the Associated Press and noted that while there is a way to make this cameo work, it would have to be done within the boundaries of good taste. The younger Walker brother explained:
I think there could potentially be a way to do it. But it would take a lot of thought and it'd have to be tasteful.
All of this raises questions about whether or not that's a smart idea in the long run. Both Furious 7 and The Fate of the Furious honored Walker's legacy by retiring Brian O'Conner, with James Wan's movie literally letting him ride off into the sunset to start his new life, while F. Gary Gray's film carrying on his name through Dominic Toretto's son.
Whether or not Brian O'Conner will return to the Fast and Furious franchise remains to be seen. Until we learn more about what the Walker family plans to do, you can head over to our movie premiere guide to keep yourself up-to-date on all of the films set to premiere this year. Beyond that, watch out for the latest installment in the Fast and Furious series next year when the Hobbs and Shaw spinoff premieres on August 2, 2019.
