Will Cody Walker return for Fast and Furious 9 to stand in for Paul Walker as Brian O'Conner? The Rumor Mill is churning after Vin Diesel shared a photo with Cody on the Fast 9 set. Cody and his brother Caleb were stand-ins for Paul for Furious 7, helping that film finish Paul's scenes after the actor's tragic death in a car crash.
Paul Walker died in November 2013 at age 40. Cody Walker is now 31 and he just made a visit to the set of Fast and Furious 9, which is now filming for its May 2020 release. "Pablo" is VIn Diesel's affectionate name for Paul Walker, and he referenced the man both he and Cody consider their brother with this sweet Instagram post:
That photo could double as Paul/Brian and Vin/Dom walking together. Do you think we'll see something like that in this movie? It's not like Fast and Furious 9 is meant to end the franchise, and this would be a parting shot for Brian and Dom. A 10th movie was already given a release date of April 2, 2021. But Vin Diesel has been emphasizing family and fatherhood in his posts during Fast 9 production, and that might be a hint to what's ahead in the movie.
A couple of months ago, Vin Diesel introduced fans to the newest "Baby Brian" actor, the now slightly older son of Dominic Toretto and Elena Neves. Jordana Brewster's Mia wasn't in The Fate of the Furious, but Mia and Brian were both mentioned in passing in the last movie. Director F. Gary Gray said they had a hundred conversations about the best way to handle and address Paul Walker's legacy for the eighth film, which was the first one to be made after Walker's death. They debated bringing Brian back in some way through "a digital Paul" or other versions. But they decided simply to mention him.
But now that Mia Toretto is back for the first time since Furious 7, maybe it does make more sense to try and find a way to bring Brian back in some way, so they can be a family together again.
It will be interesting to see how Fast and Furious 9 handles the story. Cody Walker might just have been making a casual visit to set. He is still close to Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson and the rest of the Fast family and shares photos with them on Instagram pretty frequently. Here's one from last year:
Nothing has been confirmed about Cody Walker's involvement in Fast and Furious 9. But since Jordana Brewster's Mia is definitely back, there's at least a chance we'll see Brian again. That said, there's a fine ethical line about bringing back the image of an actor who has passed away. If Paul Walker's family members are happy with a story and how it's told, I think that goes a long way to making it all right -- especially if any shots are closer to the one shown above from the back, rather than trying to digitally re-create his face or voice for full scenes. But this is all theoretical at the moment.
Fast and Furious 9, directed by Justin Lin, will also star Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, John Cena, Michael Rooker, Finn Cole, and Anna Sawai. Vin Diesel has been updating fans during filming, including showing off the first giant cast photo. Check out our full cast list and everything else we know so far to get a refresher on what's going on. Fast & Furious 9 was originally scheduled to open in April 2020, but its new release date is May 22, 2020.
