Vin Diesel made comments recently that hint at the possibility of Paul Walker's daughter joining the Fast & Furious franchise with Fast & Furious 9 poised to drop later this month. Walker was one of the franchise's biggest stars when he died suddenly in a car accident while Furious 7 was still filming in 2013. Production was delayed while the studio and creative minds decided how to move forward, but they came together to give Walker a fitting sendoff in the film. While Walker's Brian O'Conner peacefully retired from the team with his family within the films, Diesel may continue to pay tribute to the character and to his friend's legacy with the addition of Walker's daughter, Meadow Walker.
The next installment of the franchise is F9, which premieres on June 25th. It's directed by Justin Lin, a veteran of the series, having directed installments 3-6 before returning to helm F9. It features numerous returning actors aside from Diesel, including Jordana Brewster, Michelle Rodriguez, Charlize Theron, and Helen Mirren. The plot of the new film sees Theron's Cipher recruiting Dom's younger brother, Jakob, portrayed by John Cena. With Jakob out for revenge, Dom and his team find themselves in danger. This installment promises to be bigger than ever with the return of Sung Kang's Han and the tease of going into space.
While promoting the release of F9, Diesel was being interviewed by E! News when he was asked about the continued legacy of Walker in the franchise. Diesel reflected on the tragedy of Walker's death and the mourning period everyone went through before saying, "the studio accepted a bold decision, which was to allow the character to exist in our mythology." This was clearly important to Diesel as he went on to express that the start of the franchise also started a brotherhood that "will outlast the franchise." The subject of Meadow Walker potentially joining the franchise was brought up, and Diesel was a bit hesitant to answer. Meadow is his goddaughter as he Walker were close friends, and Diesel would often refer to him as a brother. With that level of kinship, Diesel's hesitation is understandable, but he did finally muster an answer with:
I would not count anything out. Let me just—without giving you all of the secrets of Fast 10. Let's just say, nothing's ruled out.
Meadow is a model, and while she doesn't have any acting credits, it seems like Diesel has already put some thought into her joining the films. If she did take part, it wouldn't be the first time Walker's family has stepped into the franchise. When Furious 7 went back into production after its hiatus, they brought in Walker's brothers, Caleb and Cody, to help film his remaining scenes. His brothers share a resemblance to the late actor, so their performance was combined with CGI to finish the film.
Diesel was careful not to let any details slip, so how Meadow could appear in the series is unclear. In the films, Brian and Mia had a child and departed their dangerous work to raise a family. With Brewster's Mia returning in F9, the audience is likely to get an update on Brian's status, which could drop some clues as to how Meadow may join the films. Given that there is a real family link and a theme that runs through all the Fast & Furious films is family, it seems likely that Meadow would join the cast with a similar link to the characters. While the future details of the franchise are still under wraps, audiences will get their first glimpse when F9 drops later this month.
Source: E! News
