A $200 million action blockbuster isn’t really the type of film you’d expect to have viewers bawling their eyes out in the theater, but that’s exactly what happened when the seventh Fast & Furious movie came to a close. Star Paul Walker tragically passed away in the midst of production, but thanks to the use of CGI and his brothers as doubles, director James Wan was able to finish the pic and it was a very, very emotional moment when Walker’s Brian O’Conner rode off into the sunset.
It was a more than fitting farewell to an actor who had been a crucial part of the series from the start, and as F9 director Justin Lin recently confirmed, Brian is still alive in this cinematic universe. Indeed, there’s been a ton of speculation that he’s set to have some sort of role in the upcoming ninth installment in the larger than life franchise, and we now know that he’s definitely involved and even how he factors into things.
According to sources close to WGTC – the same ones who told us Han was returning in F9 – Walker will be seen near the end of the film, as we see the gang eating a meal, with Dom saying that they still have one more guest joining them. We then cut to Brian’s car outside of where they are and the fan favorite character sitting inside of it. Unfortunately, we don’t get to see him actually interact with any of the other cast members, but it sounds like a nice little nod to him all the same.
We’re told that there were additional scenes planned as well, but from what we understand, this is the only one that made it into the final cut. And though it doesn’t seem terribly substantial, it’ll no doubt have audiences feeling pretty emotional.
