Every Way Fast 10 & 11 Can Include Paul Walker’s Brian
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Brian O’Conner hasn’t appeared much in Fast and Furious since the death of Paul Walker, but there are a few respectful ways for him to return.
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The character of Brian O’Conner hasn’t been seen much in the Fast and Furious franchise since the death of actor Paul Walker, but there are still some ways the character could be brought back for Fast and Furious 10 and/or Fast and Furious 11. In honor of Walker, Furious 7 wrote Brian out of the story in a respectful way, having him leave the action-packed lifestyle of the other characters to focus on raising his children. However, Brian could still be brought back before the end of the saga in a way that pays tribute to Walker’s legacy.
As one of the series’ two main leads alongside Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, Brian’s absence from The Fate of the Furious and F9: The Fast Saga is obviously visible. The films have done a strong job of explaining why the character doesn’t appear on screen, however, while still keeping Brian as part of the story. In F9, for instance, Letty and Mia explain that Brian is taking care of the children while the rest of the crew does their thing. And at the end of the movie, Brian O’Conner’s iconic car, a blue Nissan Skyline, is seen pulling up to the Toretto house to join the others. These small moments help keep the character of Brian alive, while still refraining from recasting the role that Walker made famous.
However, it will be tougher to create a satisfying conclusion to the entire Fast saga – something Universal has promised with Fast and Furious 10 and Fast and Furious 11 – without including Brian in a more prominent way. He’s such a core piece of the overall story of the franchise that he’ll need a slightly bigger role in the next two movies for them to properly give closure. Fortunately, there are a few ways Fast and Furious could bring Brian back while still being respectful to Walker.
Brian Drives In Fast 10 Or 11 Action Scene
Due to the car-centric nature of its action sequences, Fast and Furious naturally presents a lot of opportunities for characters to feature in a scene without actually showing their face. And as proven by the final main shot of F9, Brian’s penchant for import tuners (and Skylines in particular) can be used to easily imply that he’s driving a certain car without him having to appear on screen. That means that Brian could show up and assist during a big moment of Fast 10 or 11 and not even show his face.
Such a scenario wouldn’t be hard to work in. Brian could be, once again, staying home to watch over the kids while the rest of the gang goes to save the world. But when the odds finally prove too great, and the submarine/spy plane/actual spaceship the crew is chasing is about to crush the heroes beneath it, a blue Skyline could appear out of nowhere, racing in with some signature slick moves to save the family and the day. Some old voice lines from Walker could even be used as radio chatter, just to give the moment a bit of extra emotional payoff. That way, Brian would get to briefly return to the action in a big way without Universal needing to recast the character.
Brian Appears At A Fast Family Barbecue
Two more Fast and Furious movies means two more celebratory family barbecues – the marker that always caps off each entry in the series. The F9 closing cookout included a nice Brian reference by having his car pull up to the house at the very end, but he could have an even bigger part in the franchise’s final chapters. Using the same kind of CGI technology employed by Furious 7, one of Walker’s brothers could stand in as Brian in a non-vocal role. The background montage nature of the cookout scenes in Fast would make it easy for Brian to be present in this way without drawing too much attention to how he got there. And, if Walker’s brothers were involved, the cameo could be done in a way that helps keep his legacy alive.
Clearly, F9 has shown that Brian can be included effectively without using his face, and a similarly invisible cameo could be used again in Fast and Furious 10 and Fast and Furious 11. However, for the finale of the saga, it would be cool to find a way to actually get Brian to the dinner table. After all, he’s still a core part of the family.
Brian’s Voice Is Heard Over The Phone
Because Walker had an extensive body of onscreen work beyond the Fast and Furious franchise, it would be possible to synthesize some voice clips from his previous films. This could manifest in Fast and Furious 10 and 11 via a phone conversation with Brian, either cut together with some footage of him from behind or of his car participating in one of the action scenes. Films like Star Wars have done similar tricks to pay homage to past stars, and if executed respectfully, such a cameo could be perfect for Brian in Fast and Furious 10 or Fast and Furious 11.
An Older Version Of Brian Appears
It would be impossible and wrong to fully recast Brian for either Fast and Furious 10 or Fast and Furious 11. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to do some sort of recast that doesn’t tread on what Walker brought to the role. Given that the Fast saga will have a big overarching finale in the next two films, it might make sense to include a flash-forward scene at the end to show where the characters wind up ten or twenty years down the line. Such scenes are not uncommon in longstanding franchises, and if Fast and Furious 11 does one, it could be a great opportunity to bring back Brian.
Casting an older version of Brian, detached temporally from Walker’s original iteration of the character, could work pretty effectively. It would probably still be best to have one of his brothers play the role, and to exclude such a cameo if they disagreed. But showing a markedly older version of Brian, maybe sitting on a porch sipping Coronas with an older Dom as they watch their kids play in the yard, would be a powerful way to end the saga. It could be minimalistic and respectful, while also giving proper closure to the Fast and Furious story.