Jordana Brewster, who plays Mia Toretto in the Fast & Furious franchise, is happy that on-screen-husband Brian O'Connor remains a part of the franchise even after Paul Walker's tragic death. The Fast & Furious franchise was left in an uncertain position after the sudden death of Paul Walker in 2013. Having only partially completed the filming of Walker's scenes for the then-upcoming Furious 7, director James Wan and the film's producers ultimately decided that Walker's scenes in the film would be completed using CGI and digital doubles.
After an emotional send-off in Furious 7, in which Brian O'Connor essentially rides off into the sunset to start a new life with his family, both subsequent films have not directly featured O'Connor and have instead referred to him mostly in passing. Brewster's Mia Toretto was not featured in The Fate of the Furious but did return in F9. Although O'Connor is not directly seen in the film, F9 does give audiences an emotional moment at the end during the family barbeque where O'Connor's seat at the table is noticeably empty. After assuring Dom and the rest of the gang that O'Connor is on his way, the film ends with O'Connor's signature blue Nissan Skyline GT-R pulling into the driveway.
In an exclusive interview with Screen Rant promoting the director's cut of F9, Jordana Brewster has shared that she's happy that Paul Walker's character remains alive and well in the Fast & Furious franchise. In addition to honoring the late Walker's memory, she says, O'Connor has very much become the heart and soul of the entire franchise. She even expresses interest in potentially having O'Connor appear on screen again at some point in future films. Read Brewster's full comment below:
"He is the heart of the franchise. Yes. I'm always so happy with the way that Paul, that Brian is mentioned and the way that he's honored and the way that he's kept alive within this universe. That makes me really, really happy. Yeah. And now, I can't wait to ask ... I don't know if I want to ask Justin or if I just want to see it on screen, but that really makes me happy that they talked about that."
It seems likely that O'Connor's character will remain alive in the two planned F9 sequels and that Dom and the other characters will continue fondly referencing O'Connor and the new life he has pursued with his family. To continue honoring Walker's memory, it's doubtful that O'Connor will have anything but a happy ending when the Fast & Furious franchise does eventually come to an end. It also wouldn't be surprising if, through the magic of CGI, O'Connor is eventually seen on camera again, likely at the end of the final film in a grand send-off for the entire Fast & Furious cast.
Although recreating late actors digitally is still very much uncharted territory and ethically somewhat ambiguous, it seems that most fans were happy with how the digital O'Connor was treated in Furious 7, and Walker's own family was supportive of the effort. There was still a degree of uncanny valley in terms of how Walker's face was actually reconstructed, but overall the likeness was captured very effectively and made for an emotional moment. If Walker is to be recreated at some point in the future for a Fast & Furious film, given that the Walker family is okay with it, of course, it would likely make for a truly emotional finale seeing the whole Fast & Furious gang back together again.
The Director's Cut of F9: The Fast Saga is now available on digital and Blu-ray from Universal Home Entertainment.