Three years ago this November, Paul Walker died in a single-vehicle car crash. His untimely death resulted in the production of the then-latest Fast & Furious installment (Furious 7) to be halted. Its intended Summer 2014 release was pushed back to April 2015. The question on everyone’s mind was how they would handle Paul Walker’s character, Brian O’Conner. O’Conner got a proper send-off, driving off into the sunset and his car and Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) car went their separate ways.
As we approach Fast 8 (set to arrive April 14, 2017), and the continued adventures of Dom and his “family”, it will begin a new chapter in the long-running franchise, as Diesel has promised one final trilogy which will end the franchise with a total of ten films. Sequels for the not yet named ninth and tenth entries have slated dates for 2019 and 2021.
Now comes word that Paul Walker may be returning for the sequels.
While such an announcement seems like a poorly timed April Fool’s Day joke, it is backed up with some credibility by way of Paul Walker’s brothers, Caleb and Cody, who did performance capture work to complete his scenes in Furious 7, essentially doubling as Brian O’Conner.
The Walkers were interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, discussing the second annual Game4Paul, a fundraiser in honor of their late sibling. At one point during the interview, Caleb talked about a conversation he had with Diesel about bringing Brian O’Conner back.
“I had a phone call with Vin for about an hour and we really discussed this a while back. He wanted [our] blessing. [Diesel asked if it] would be acceptable to maybe bring Paul’s character back… to really kind of let his fans know he’s still out there.”
Frankly, after the classy, emotional farewell to end Furious 7, where real life and reel life went hand in hand (or, more appropriately, foot to pedal), bringing O’Conner back does not seem wise. While a visual achievement for sure, it could open a Pandora’s Box.
What could it mean for Hollywood long term? Do we see a situation where actors become obsolete if their past performances can be scanned into a computer and completed with simulations? The film The Congress explored this idea where an actress (Robin Wright playing a fictional version of herself) sells the film rights to her digital image in exchange for a hefty sum of money and the promise to never act again. After her body is digitally scanned, the studio began to make films starring her, using only computer-generated characters. The concept was also mocked on the season two finale of Netflix’s Bojack Horseman, where the animated talking horse (voice of Will Arnett) learns that his performance as Secretariat was completed by computer while he was taking a break from Hollywood for a few months.
If Brian O’Conner were to come back, it should be saved for the very last film and with him getting the big piece of chicken at a family lunch.
