Brian O'Conner may not make a long-awaited return in the upcoming Fast X, but franchise star Vin Diesel promised fans that the beloved character will appear again before the film series concludes with Fast & Furious 11.
Speaking with Total Film, Fast X director Louis Leterrier debunked reports that fan-favorite character Brian O'Conner, played by the late Paul Walker would appear in the upcoming tenth mainline installment outside the film's Fast Five flashbacks. However, Diesel revealed that he wasn't opposed to bringing Brian back for Fast 11. "That moment in 2013 when the world was struggling with his loss, the studio made a very bold and righteous and daring decision to keep Brian O’Conner alive," Diesel noted, teasing, "I will give you this without spoiling anything: I couldn’t imagine this saga ending without truly saying goodbye to Brian O’Conner."
Walker first appeared as Brian O'Conner in 2001's The Fast and the Furious as the primary protagonist opposite Diesel's Dominic Toretto. Following the success of the film, Walker returned as Brian in 2003's 2 Fast 2 Furious, which is the only mainline entry in the franchise to not feature Dominic Toretto. After skipping 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Walker reunited with the original film's cast for 2009's Fast & Furious. He also appeared in Fast Five (2011) and Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and Furious 7 (2015). Walker died in a car accident during the production of Furious 7, leading to Brian O'Conner being written out of the franchise.
Jason Momoa's Dante Has Ties to Fast Five's Villain
Fast X will reexamine the events of Fast Five through the eyes of Jason Momoa's Dante Reyes, whose father, Hernan, was killed during Dom and Brian's vault heist in the 2011 action film. After over a decade of planning, Dante is ready to exact his revenge on Dom and his makeshift family, with Fast X's official synopsis, as well as the film's trailers, revealing that Dom's son Brian Marcos is the ultimate target of Dante's vengeance. Fast X will also pair Dante up with Charlize Theron's Cipher, who has been a constant thorn in Dom's side since The Fate of the Furious (2017).
The Family Is All Here in Fast X
Besides Diesel, Fast X features several returning cast members, including Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster and John Cena as Dominic Toretto's wife Letty, sister Mia and brother, Jakob, respectively. Rita Moreno will also appear as Dom, Jakob and Mia's Abuelita Toretto. Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce), Chris "Ludacris" Bridges (Tej Parker), Nathalie Emmanuel (Ramsey) and Sung Kang (Han Lue) will also reprise their respective roles from previous Fast films as members of Dom's team/family, with the Shaw family -- Queenie (Helen Mirren) and Deckard (Jason Statham) also confirmed to return.
New cast members include Brie Larson as Mr. Nobody's daughter, Tess; Alan Ritchson as Agent Aimes, the new leader of Mr. Nobody's Agency; and Daniela Melchior as a Brazilian street racer with a powerful tie to Dom’s past. Fast X races into theaters on May 19.
Source: Total Film