Paul Walker’s younger brother, Cody Walker, has made it clear that he would rather leave the decision about bringing the late actor’s most iconic character back to someone else.
During a conversation with Entertainment Tonight, Cody acknowledged that artificial intelligence could potentially be used to bring Paul’s Brian O’Conner back for Fast Forever, the franchise’s upcoming final installment. However, he also stressed that he has no desire to return as a stand-in, as he did more than a decade ago.
“AI was not a thing back in 2014, so they could do that,” he said. “There are years of footage that was never used from these other Fast films. They’re the best in the business; they can figure that out.”
Cody believes the decision should ultimately be left to Paul’s daughter, Meadow Walker, rather than himself. He pointed to her as the person whose wishes should carry the most weight when it comes to whether Brian O’Conner returns.
“My stance is, it’s what Meadow wants to see done; it’s her father. I would not be interested in doing that again. I love the way his character exited the franchise. They didn’t kill him off, they didn’t do something cheesy like that. It’s beautiful, [Brian] is off raising his kids. But if they want to do that, if Meadow would like to see that, they don’t need me or Caleb.”
Cody previously appeared more receptive to the possibility of bringing Brian O’Conner back when he discussed the idea in 2018. At the time, he said there “could potentially be a way to do it,” but stressed that it would “take a lot of thought” and needed to be handled tastefully.
After Paul Walker died in a single-vehicle crash on November 30, 2013, Cody and his brother Caleb helped complete production on Furious 7. Their resemblance to Paul, combined with visual effects and previously unused footage, allowed the 2015 movie to give Brian a farewell that saw him leave to raise a family with Mia instead of being killed off.
A reunion with Brian is already part of Vin Diesel’s vision for the franchise finale. Diesel has said he agreed to make the final chapter under three conditions: bringing the story back to Los Angeles, returning to its roots in street racing and car culture, and reuniting Dom with Brian O’Conner.
Cody, however, remains uncertain about how that reunion could realistically be brought to the screen. “I have no idea what to expect there,” he said. “I talked to Vin, and when it comes to this whole process, he gets very ethereal; it’s a lot of weight. The guy is incredible; he’s extremely gifted, he takes this very seriously, and there’s a mountain on Vin’s shoulders.”
Fast Forever, directed by Fast X filmmaker Louis Leterrier, remains scheduled to arrive in theaters on March 17, 2028.
