Possibility of Paul Walker's return to the 'Fast and Furious' franchise using AI met with a lot of backlash(Instagram)

The ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise is officially ending after 25 successful years in the market. The upcoming film, tentatively titled ‘Fast Forever,' is under development, with the team aiming for a release sometime next year. However, the project faced online backlash after comments about using AI in the film went viral. One of the main debates surrounding the ‘Fast and Furious’ films is whether Paul Walker’s character would be making a return posthumously or not. While Walker’s brothers confirmed that they would not be returning to the film, their comments about the possible use of AI left many questioning the integrity of the project.

Paul Walker’s brothers say that AI can be used to bring Paul Walker back

While talking to Entertainment Weekly, Walker’s brother Cody shared that neither he nor Caleb is looking towards helping bring back their brother Paul Walker to the franchise. After Walker passed away, his brothers helped complete the ‘Fast and Furious’ film to conclude his story arc.He, however, did say that at the end of the day the decision should lie with Walker’s daughter, Meadow. He commented, “My stance is, it’s what [Paul’s daughter] Meadow wants to see done; it’s her father. I would not be interested in doing that again.”He also commented on the possibility of using AI in the movie, sharing, "AI was not a thing back in 2014, so they could do that. There are years of footage that was never used from these other Fast films. They're the best in the business; they can figure that out." This prompt has since then gone viral online and has caused quite an outrage amongst fans over the possibility of AI usage.

Netizens criticise the possibility of AI usage for Paul Walker’s return

Many dedicated fans of the ‘Fast and Furious’ franchise strongly reacted against the use of AI, commenting on how Walker’s character in the franchise did not deserve something like this. One person wrote, “Wow... that feels pretty shallow," while another person shared, “If they feel/think they need to do that, they're absolutely bereft of creativity and new ideas. How about new and innovative ways of discovering new ‘alive’ actors?”Another social media user on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote, “Man, they better not fucking do this. No one wants to see an AI version of Paul Walker, bro," while another person added, “I would have been more open to this if they did what they did in Fast 7 with the body double or if Cody Walker, along with Vin Diesel, personally scouted out actors who have the charm and charisma and utterly embody Brian O'Connor. But the fact they are even considering turning to AI instead of flat-out recasting the character personally, even an unknown, is spitting on his legacy and will end the franchise on the lowest note and will forever stain the IP.”

What happened to Paul Walker?

Paul William Walker IV passed away on November 30, 2013, in a single-vehicle collision after his and Roger Rodas’ car struck a lamp post and caught fire in Santa Clarita, California. At the time, Walker had been in the middle of filming ‘Furious 7,' which stopped production for a few months as his co-workers mourned his loss. His brothers Caleb and Cody joined the set to complete some of his unfinished scenes in the movie and give him a proper send-off.