“I won’t rest until I make you, him and the universe proud”

Paul Walker and Vin Diesel attend the world premiere of ‘Fast And Furious 6’ at The Empire Leicester Square on May 7, 2013 in London, England. CREDIT: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images

Vin Diesel has said that every Fast & Furious film is made to “honour” Paul Walker.

Paul Walker played Brian O’Conner opposite Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto in 2001’s The Fast And The Furious and appeared in almost every one of its subsequent instalments until his death in 2013.

Taking to social media as Fast 10 began filming, Diesel explained that “there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t want to turn back time, talk Pablo (Paul Walker) out of heading back to LA that thanksgiving weekend. Every Fast film I make must, at the core, always honour my brother Pablo.”

Elsewhere he explained that he walked Walker’s daughter Meadow down the aisle “with pride and honour” and that when Walker’s mother asked him to “bring Brian back to the screen well, I don’t have to tell you how serious I take it.”

The Fast & Furious franchise would “never have been here without the profound love and brotherhood between Dom and Brian, established in 2001,” he added. “Thank you for believing in me, in us. I won’t rest until I make you, him and the universe proud.”

Elsewhere he confirmed the return of Walker’s onscreen wife Mia Toretto in Fast Ten after she was originally left out of the script because she was “someone whom I’ve attributed the brotherhood of Dom and Brian to.” He then went on to reveal her return was at the insistence of his daughter who apparently told director Justin Lin “No Mia, No Fast 10”.

Filming began on Fast 10 earlier this week (April 22) with Lin saying it “felt like the beginning of an epic ending” before agreeing that it is going to be the best film in the franchise.

Fast 10 will be released May 19, 2023 and will feature both Jason Momoa and Brie Larson. However Dwayne Johnson has confirmed there’s “no chance” of him returning.