The Fast & Furious franchise began in 2001, and, over two decades later, it includes ten films in the original saga and a spinoff. The original film series is expected to end with the upcoming Fast X: Part 2, and Vin Diesel just teased that it would pull out all the stops and even bring back another dead character.
The end credits of 2023’s Fast X revealed that Gal Gadot’s Gisele Yashar has survived the events of 2013’s Fast & Furious 6, although it’s unclear how. Her character is not the only dead character to return, as well as the rest of the main crew, after the plane crash. During FuelFest, the car show combining the automotive world with musical performances and appearances from the Fast & Furious cast, Vin Diesel confirmed Fast X: Part 2 will bring back Brian.
On stage, Diesel shared, “The studio said to me, ‘Vin, can we please have the finale of Fast & Furious in April 2027?’ I said, ‘Under three conditions,’ ” he teased, adding to the camera filming, “You’re going to love this.”
“First, is to bring the franchise back to L.A.,” he said as the crowd cheered. “The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing,” the actor explained, which was a longtime fan request. He added, “The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner.”
Brian O’Conner was a main character of the franchise, played by the late Paul Walker. However, after his tragic death, Brian was retired and continued to be alive in the universe off-screen, as he wasn’t recast and didn’t appear in follow-up films. The actor passed away in a car crash in November 2013, and his last appearance in the film series was in 2015’s Furious 7. Following his car accident, the team used CGI for several shots of Brian, and his brothers Caleb and Cody replaced him to complete his remaining scenes.
Cody Walker is also the co-founder of FuelFest, which started as a family-friendly car show to raise money for Walker’s charity Reach Out Worldwide. The cast of the Fast & Furious has often appeared at the festival to show their support.
Vin Diesel’s words on stage came with some news, but some things that fans already knew. The yet-untitled Fast 11, which is often referred to as Fast X: Part 2, since the 2023 action film was the only one to end with a cliffhanger, was scheduled to hit theaters in 2026. However, there have been few updates about production, so it looks like the spring of 2026 might not be likely. In his new appearance, Diesel shared the date for the finale as April 2027.
The return to both Los Angeles and street racing has been previously teased. Following the devastating L.A. wildfires, Diesel pledged his loyalty to the city and promised they would return to filming there.
Jordana Brewster, who played Mia Toretto, also teased her interest in going back to LA and street racing. “I would like to go back to the roots of the first one, kind of like what you were saying with Final Destination.” The actress continued, “I think it should be back in LA, I think it should be gritty, and I think Mia should go back to being part of a group that’s kicking some ass.” In an update from April 2024 from franchise star Tyrese Gibson, the actor revealed that the producers and writers were “listening to the fans,” promising to take the film back to the basics.