Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel shared a video of his reunion with Paul Walker's brother Cody at FuelFest. Diesel has been a part of the action franchise from the very beginning, 2001's The Fast and the Furious, in which he co-starred with Paul Walker. Diesel has appeared as his character Dominic Toretto in every film in the main branch of the franchise (including a cameo in Tokyo Drift) except for the first sequel 2 Fast 2 Furious, collaborating with Walker a total of 5 times throughout the franchise.
Tragically, Paul Walker died in a car crash unrelated to but during the filming of Furious 7. Director James Wan and his production team managed to complete his scenes by cobbling together his existing footage with archive footage and additional shots using stand-in performances from Cody Walker and the third Walker brother Caleb. Paul Walker's character Brian O'Conner has not appeared onscreen since then, though canonically he is still alive and living happily with his family away from the chaos of his crew's many adventures.
On his Instagram, Vin Diesel shared a video from FuelFest, a festival celebrating the intersection of cars and art and continuing the charitable work of Paul Walker's foundation, which Cody has since taken over. The event, which took place in Phoenix, Arizona, and featured drag racing, live music, and cars from popular films, was co-created by Cody Walker and Chris Lee. Just 4 days off from the 8-year anniversary of Paul Walker's passing, Diesel and Cody reunited. In the emotional video, Diesel pays tribute to his "brother" and honors the contributions he has made. Check out the post below:
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The video also inspired an outpouring of support from Fast and Furious fans as well as members of the family. Tyrese, who plays Roman in the films, commented saying "Congratulations CODY!!!!! This is you and Paul’s vision!!! Keep flying let’s take FUEL FEST GLOBALLY!!!!!!" Vin Diesel's xXx: The Return of Xander Cage co-star Tony Jaa also chimed in with "All love."
Paul Walker's tragic death is a shadow that looms over anything related to the juggernaut Fast and Furious franchise. However, it's heartwarming to see the way that the cast and crew have come together to support the Walker family throughout the years. Diesel even walked Paul Walker's daughter down the aisle at her wedding. It's clear that Paul Walker's memory lives on in the lives of the people who knew him, and everyone - but perhaps especially Vin Diesel - have long been committed to honoring his legacy in every way possible.
Source: Vin Diesel