Vin Diesel SLAMMED Over Paul Walker ‘Return’ Tease in Fast 11

Vin Diesel sparked outrage online after teasing that his Fast & Furious character Dom Toretto will ‘reunite’ with Brian O’Conner (played by the late Paul Walker) for the 11th and final film of the $7.4B-grossing franchise already scheduled to hit theaters in April 2027.

The 57-year-old SAG Award nominee sported a tank top emblazoned with ‘Fast X Part 2 Los Angeles Production 2025’ while making the controversial announcement listing his three ‘conditions’ for Universal Pictures as he hit the stage at FuelFest in Pomona, CA last Saturday.

‘First, is to bring the franchise back to LA!’ Vin (born Mark Sinclair) said in fan footage of the event.

‘The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing! The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner.’

It’s worth noting that Diesel and his Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson were joined at FuelFest by Paul’s mother Cheryl Walker and younger brother Cody Walker.

Fans will recall how Furious 7 director James Wan hired Weta Digital to recreate Walker’s face with CGI, which was superimposed over the bodies of three stand-ins – 37-year-old Cody, his 47-year-old brother Caleb, and lookalike John Brotherton.

Vin Diesel sparked outrage online after teasing that his Fast & Furious character Dom Toretto will ‘reunite’ with Brian O’Conner (played by the late Paul Walker) for the 11th and final film of the $7.4B-grossing franchise already scheduled to hit theaters in April 2027 (pictured in 2001)

The 57-year-old SAG Award nominee sported a tank top emblazoned with ‘Fast X Part 2 Los Angeles Production 2025’ while making the controversial announcement listing his three ‘conditions’ for Universal Pictures as he hit the stage at FuelFest in Pomona, CA last Saturday 

The undercover LAPD detective-turned-street racer officially ‘retired’ at the closing of the 2015 seventh installment to have a quiet life with Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) and their son Jack (Kimsey twins).

On the social media platform X, the reaction to the news troubled many fans including user @khaliltooshort who tweeted: ‘Bringing back Paul Walker as a CGI character is as disgusting as bringing back Chadwick [Boseman] as Black Panther.’

‘I watched them turn grief into a cash grab,’ X user @sharon_riley35 blasted. ‘And now they’re dragging Paul Walker’s legacy back like it’s a prop.’

X user @JasonDelgado78 tweeted: ‘Let Paul Walker rest in peace instead of CGI-ing him into a crappy movie.’

‘Let Paul Walker’s character in the Fast series stay retired. He got a good send off, don’t bring him back,’ X user @HdRozay chimed in.

‘Can’t we just let this franchise go? It’s way past its prime and it’s only disrespectful to Paul Walker to continue to have Brian there,’ X user @rainbow_astoria tweeted.

‘[I don’t care] if it’s Paul’s brother playing him, it’s still disrespectful and stretching out a franchise that should’ve ended like 10 years ago.’

X user @She_DreadzMe wrote that if Paul Walker’s family is ‘cool with them resurrecting him via CGI’ then: ‘I can’t be mad. I will never understand people being mad at creative choices that directors/writers make if the family’s cool with it. Conversation should be over.’

‘Looks like Paul Walker’s brother will get another ride,’ X user @adamzaynAZ predicted.

Vin might be able to incorporate the same AI algorithm technology that directing duo Leo Scott and Ting Poo used to recreate the late Val Kilmer’s voice from hours of archival footage for their 2021 Amazon documentary Val following his bout with throat cancer.

Vin said in fan footage of the event: ‘First, is to bring the franchise back to LA! The second thing was to return to the car culture, to the street racing! The third thing was reuniting Dom and Brian O’Conner’

It’s worth noting that Diesel and his Fast & Furious co-star Tyrese Gibson (M) were joined at FuelFest by Paul’s mother Cheryl Walker (R) and younger brother Cody Walker (L)

Fans will recall how Furious 7 director James Wan hired Weta Digital to recreate Walker’s face with CGI, which was superimposed over the bodies of three stand-ins – 37-year-old Cody (M, pictured in 2013), his 47-year-old brother Caleb (R), and lookalike John Brotherton

The undercover LAPD detective-turned-street racer officially ‘retired’ at the closing of the 2015 seventh installment to have a quiet life with Mia Toretto (2-L, Jordana Brewster) and their son Jack (Kimsey twins)

On the social media platform X, the reaction to the news troubled many fans including user @khaliltooshort who tweeted: ‘Bringing back Paul Walker as a CGI character is as disgusting as bringing back Chadwick [Boseman] as Black Panther’

‘I watched them turn grief into a cash grab,’ X user @sharon_riley35 blasted. ‘And now they’re dragging Paul Walker’s legacy back like it’s a prop’

X user @JasonDelgado78 tweeted: ‘Let Paul Walker rest in peace instead of CGI-ing him into a crappy movie’

‘Let Paul Walker’s character in the Fast series stay retired. He got a good send off, don’t bring him back,’ X user @HdRozay chimed in

X user @rainbow_astoria tweeted: ‘[I don’t care] if it’s Paul’s brother playing him, it’s still disrespectful and stretching out a franchise that should’ve ended like 10 years ago’

X user @She_DreadzMe wrote that if Paul Walker’s family is ‘cool with them resurrecting him via CGI’ then: ‘I can’t be mad. I will never understand people being mad at creative choices that directors/writers make if the family’s cool with it. Conversation should be over’

‘Looks like Paul Walker’s brother will get another ride,’ X user @adamzaynAZ predicted

Two weeks ago, Paul’s only child with babymama Rebecca Soteros – Meadow Walker (pictured June 18) – paid tribute to his memory on Father’s Day

The 26-year-old CAA Fashion Model wrote on June 15: ‘Happy Father’s Day to my guardian angel. Thank you for your love, guidance, and for truly being the most incredible dad and my best friend. I miss you every day, my sunshine. I love you’

Aside from the 10 previous Fast & Furious films spanning 2001-2023, the blockbuster franchise also spawned spin-offs Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019) as well as Netflix series Fast & Furious Spy Racers (2019-21).

Two weeks ago, Paul’s only child with babymama Rebecca Soteros – Meadow Walker – paid tribute to his memory on Father’s Day.

‘Happy Father’s Day to my guardian angel,’ the 26-year-old CAA Fashion Model – who’s president of the Paul Walker Foundation – wrote on June 15.

‘Thank you for your love, guidance, and for truly being the most incredible dad and my best friend. I miss you every day, my sunshine. I love you.’

Meadow was only 15 when her famous father tragically died, age 40, in 2013 shortly after hopping into a Porsche Carrera GT with his pal Roger Rodas, who crashed into a concrete lamp and two trees in Valencia, CA.

The Cali-born, Hawaiian-raised nepo-baby received $7.2M in her 2014 settlement from the Rodas estate, according to TMZ.

And by 2017, Meadow and her grandfather Paul Walker Sr. settled a separate lawsuit against Porsche ‘to the satisfaction of all involved’ – according to the Los Angeles Times.

Walker’s cremated remains were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills in a non-denominational ceremony.