We were kinda skeptical when Universal Pictures announced they would use CGI technology (along with the stand-in help of Paul Walker‘s brothers Cody Walker and Caleb Walker) to replace Paul in Furious 7, but now there may be plans to keep Brian O’Conner alive for future sequels — and it seems like a really bad idea.
Vin Diesel apparently hopes to have Brian pop up in cameos in yet-to-be-made Fast & Furious movies, and he has even gone as far as consulting with Cody and Caleb about the possibility.
“I had a phone call with Vin for about an hour and we really discussed this a while back. He wanted [our] blessing,” Caleb said in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, adding that Diesel asked when it “would be acceptable to maybe bring Paul’s character back… to really kind of let his fans know he’s still out there.”
Um, we’d say never. Sorry, Diesel, but it will never be acceptable to bring Paul’s character back.
More:Scott Eastwood’s Fast 8 news makes me miss Paul Walker all over again
While we aren’t really sure how Diesel would bring Brian back yet, let’s be real here: it seems like a pretty bad idea, overall. Walker brought the character to life, and now he’s gone. It’s a heartbreaking reality to come to terms with, but to keep CGIing him into movies seems chintzy — and like a cheap money grab for a desperate franchise.
Many fans believe Paul and his character got a proper send-off in Furious 7 and would actually rather see the series come to an end than have Paul’s performance and legacy sullied with strange CGI work for an awkward cameo.
And while it seems in bad taste to to try to recreate Brian O’Conner, his brothers say that stepping in to replace Paul in the filming of Furious 7 — which was in the middle of production when Paul tragically died — helped them find closure.
More: Paul Walker’s daughter wins much-deserved lawsuit but it doesn’t fix anything
“We got to understand more about Paul and what he was all about,” Caleb said of being on the Furious 7 set. “We had to share Paul with a lot of people, in a weird way. He was gone a lot, he was filming, so we missed him. Sometimes at the holidays he wasn’t always there, you know? He tried. We’d see him on set, we visited a few times, but to kind of get that closure and understanding [of] Paul was really special.”
Having Caleb and Cody play Brian for Furious 7 was a sweet, fitting way to end both Paul’s and Brian’s stories. Why open up old wounds and try to replace Paul’s character just to keep the character (and the franchise) alive?
More:Teen Choice Awards: Vin Diesel gives emotional shout-out to Paul Walker’s daughter
What do you think? Would you be down to see Brian O’Conner in future iterations of the Fast and Furious franchise?
Before you go, check out our slideshow below.
Leave a Comment