Brian Returning to Fast & Furious! Is This Disrespectful?
Fast & Furious fans got some interesting news yesterday regarding the next installment of the franchise. Vin Diesel confirmed that Brain O’Connor will be returning for Fast & Furious 11 that’s said to be the final film in the franchise. This news caused the internet to go a bit crazy. What do I think about this? Let’s get started!
My Thoughts
The general reaction from the internet has mostly disapproved of this idea. They think that Brain and Paul Walker’s legacy should be intact after his send off in Furious 7. This choice of using the likeness of a deceased actor for a movie has been pretty well rejected by the internet. WB did it with Christopher Reeves in The Flash and 20th Century Fox did it with Ian Holk in Alien: Romulus. Both of these decisions were rejected by the internet. There’s a sense in which I can understand where they’re coming from. There’s a sense in which I understand that if an actor dies they shouldn’t be brought back for CGI and cheap cameos. On the other hand, I feel if the actors’ family gives the studio permission to let them do it then it’s ok. If stories come out about Reeves’ family not being asked to have Christopher in The Flash ok then this is a different story. The general idea of using CGI and other technology to bring actors back I think is very cool. If it’s done right then it’s a cool trick for the fans to give them one final sendoff.
This all leads into the bigger question, what do I think of Brian coming back? I’m a massive fan of this franchise, it’s one of the franchises that my mom and I have bonded over. I enjoy all of the films in the franchise (except Tokyo Drift). Even when the franchise has gone off the rails and taken cars into space I’ve had a lot of fun with the franchise. I do think Furious 7 is the best of the franchise and their send off to Brian and Paul Walker was fantastic. It hits all the right emotions and is one of the few blockbusters to make me misty eyed. As I’ve mentioned, the internet has pretty much rejected the idea. I’m sort of the opposite of that. If it’s done right and respectfully and I think it will be. If you follow Vin Diesel on Instagram, he’s still very close with Paul’s family. Paul’s daughter had a cameo in Fast X. I feel like Vin will find a respectful way to bring back Brian in a way that honors his legacy but that’s also a treat to the fans. Fast & Furious 11 is confirmed to be the final film in the franchise. Jason Momoa’s whole villain plan in Fast X was getting revenge on Dom and his team after killing his father in Fast Five. Brian was a very important aspect of that film and the whole heist. If that’s what Momoa’s plan is, then that means at some point he’s going to be coming after Brian. In those regards, I think it makes total sense for Brian to return. But with Paul Walker’s passing, it’s hard to figure that out. The other piece of this is it’s not confirmed the whole big role Brian will have in the film. Brain could be a co-lead in the film with Dom. Maybe Brian just had an extended cameo saved for the epilogue of the film. We don’t know what Brian’s role in the film is going to be. If we did know the extent of Brian’s role, I don’t think my thoughts on this idea would dramatically change.
In general, I’m ok with this idea. I think Vin loves Paul and his family so much that he’ll make sure that his return is respectful. I think narratively it makes sense for Brian to return for the final film, for one last send off to the fans while also fitting with the plot of Momoa’s plan. I do get where the frustration and the disappointing reactions from fans are coming from, that’s just not how I see it.
Comments