Paul Walker's untimely death was a tragedy for his family, friends and fans. For those working with him on Furious 7, it also posed an additional challenge. How could they handle the loss of the actor with dignity, while also showing respect to his character, Brian O'Connor?
Everyone who saw Furious 7 would likely agree that the filmmakers allowed Brian O'Connor to make a graceful exit, one that pleased fans while allowing them to shed a tear or two for Walker. Paul's brothers Cody and Caleb helped out, stepping in to help complete his scenes in the movie.
Now Cody and Caleb Walker have talked with Vin Diesel about the possibility of Brian O'Connor making a return appearance in the series, according to ET. Caleb Walker says: "I had a phone call with Vin for about an hour and we really discussed this a while back. He wanted [our] blessing."
Caleb also says that Diesel asked if and when they thought it "would be acceptable to maybe bring Paul's character back… to really kind of let his fans know he's still out there." Cody Walker says: "Universal wants to make sure to be respectful of Paul and his image too, and his family."
The next movie in the series, Furious 8, will roar into theaters on April 14, 2017.
Last year, Mad Max: Fury Road brought back Max Rockatansky to the big screen to great success. Tom Hardy fully inhabited the role created by Mel Gibson and Charlize Theron blazed a great new trail as Imperator Furiosa. The movie earned a healthy $378 million worldwide and many fans clamored for more. In January, director George Miller confirmed that he had two more Mad Max stories that he wanted to tell, though they wouldn't necessarily be the next movies he makes.
So it was rather unexpected to find out from Australia's Herald Sun (via Collider) that preproduction is reportedly starting on a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road. According to the report, Tom Hardy will star and George Miller will again direct, with the plot focusing on the backstory of Theron's character, Furiosa.
It would certainly make sense to bring back Furiosa; she's a strong character and well worth exploring further, though we're not sure how Max would fit into a prequel. As for Miller, it's worth noting that he didn't rule out doing more Mad Max movies immediately; he just said he wanted to do something else first. With the passage of time, perhaps he's decided to dip back into that world while the iron is still hot.
As always, we'll wait to hear more about whether a Mad Max: Fury Road prequel will become a reality.
