Fast & Furious 10 and 11 may bring back Paul Walker, according to the franchise's director Justin Lin. The ninth film in the Fast saga, F9, opened in the United States this past weekend, setting numerous box office records since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, as was expected. A Quiet Place Part II ushered audiences back to theaters on Memorial Day weekend, and F9 built on its success with a $70 million opening weekend, the highest since 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

Walker was one of the Fast & Furious franchise's biggest stars, as he appeared in every installment as Brian O'Conner, excluding 2006’s Tokyo Drift, before his highly publicized and untimely death in 2013. Reeling from the shocking development, production of Furious 7 was put on hold as the franchise decided how to move forward without its star. When it released in theaters, Furious 7 gave Walker a fitting sendoff as his character goes off to live with Mia (Jordana Brewster) and his family.

Related: How Furious 7 Finished Paul Walker's Scenes After His Death

Vin Diesel previously spoke about the possibility of Walker’s daughter Meadow appearing in future Fast movies, but Justin Lin now says bringing Paul Walker’s character back for Fast & Furious 10 and 11 is a very real possibility. In an interview with CinePOP, the franchise’s director talked about the prospect of Brian O'Conner returning for the final two installments with the help of CGI. Read what Lin said below:

Obviously, Paul and his character Brian are the soul and heart of how we've moved forward. Bringing him back is something I think about every day. As we near the end of the franchise, it's a conversation I'm having. I think about this possibility every day.

Fast and Furious 7 Paul Walker Scenes

While Lin’s idea may sound implausible, this wouldn’t be the first time Walker's likeness was recreated with CGI for a Fast & Furious film. After his death in 2013, Furious 7 was rewritten to give Walker's character a proper sendoff and his brothers Cody and Caleb were used to help recreate Paul’s likeness on screen. Another massively popular franchise, Star Wars, has proven with its recent history that recreating deceased actors' likenesses with CGI is possible.

For Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Peter Cushing's Grand Moff Tarkin was brought back to life on screen through the magic of motion-capture CGI long after his death in 1994. When Carrie Fisher suddenly passed away before filming for The Rise of Skywalker began, the film was able to provide a conclusion to Princess Leia’s storyline through the help of CGI and unused footage from the two previous films. CGI has improved drastically over the past few years, making what was previously thought to be impossible possible on screen. If Walker’s family approves, perhaps his likeness could return in Fast & Furious 10 and 11.

Next: Fast & Furious 10 Theory: How Paul Walker's Brian Can Return

Source: CinePOP