Remembering Paul Walker's Impact on The Fast and The Furious Franchise

Wazzup Pilipinas!

When you talk about cars, upgrading car parts, and movies, you would always think of the Fast and the Furious first. especially with the latest movie being release recently. Th release of “The Fate of the Furious” has people’s love for car-centric action flicks reignited. But for fans to truly appreciate the latest film, they must know that the entire film was made in memory of their beloved star, Paul Walker.

Furious 7

By now all are well aware of Paul Walker’s unfortunate passing and how his sudden departure left an impact on the story of the 7th movie in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. Not only were the cast and crew able to make the story work of how his character, Brian O’Conner, retired but they were also able to give a touching tribute to their fallen brother. They were so successful in fact that “Furious 7” had the best box office performance and critical response. It achieved the #11 spot in the over box office ranking worldwide while achieving 80% from Rotten Tomatoes based on 233 reviews.

With the success of the 7th movie meant that a sequel would follow. Even with the franchise moving forward with its story, the cast and crew still have not moved on from the motivation to make Paul Walker’s spirit and his family proud. While creating the 8th movie, director F. Gary Gray said that he and his team always had Walker in mind when they were making the big decisions in “Fate of the Furious”. 

Fate of the Furious and Vin Diesel

Vin Diesel himself is so spiritually connected to Walker and considered him a brother when they worked on set. Walker’s sudden passing hit him hard and made him attached to the franchise “in ways that I've never seen an actor/producer connected to a franchise” as mentions by Gray. He also said that he, Diesel, and writer Chris Morgan developed the script while always thinking of Walker and his legacy. They wanted to pay an homage to him and dedicate all their efforts for him.

In CinemaCon just this March, Diesel stated that “Part of Paul’s legacy lives through every frame that we shoot. You are reminded of this angel that was so integral to this concept of brotherhood for our millennium. There’s something beautiful about that. There’s something celebratory about that”. It was also here that Diesel mentioned that “It was Paul Walker who promised eight [movies]. It played over and over again in my brain.”

Without giving away too much, the cast and crew were also able to sneak in an homage to Paul’s character in the latest movie.



Key Takeaway

The bond that Walker had on the cast and crew of “The Fast and The Furious” franchise was so lasting that, even 4 years after his death, they still try to make him proud. It is most evident in the latest movie where every moment was shot with his memory in mind.



About The Author

John Marc Ramirez dares to create an impact wherever he goes. He is all-in when it comes to discovering new things and horizons. He is zealous about meeting and building new relationships. On top of it, he is fired-up in raising the youth as the future leaders of his nation.