Vin Diesel Opens Up About Paul Walker's Death As Inspiration for Future 'Fast & Furious' Movies

With the upcoming release of the “Fast and Furious 8” movie that challenges the franchise’s traditional concept of family, Vin Diesel has come forward to share how the late Paul Walker’s death has inspired the film series to move on. After the devastating loss for the “Fast & Furious” franchise in 2013, there were even questions whether the team could work on more movies in the absence of Walker.

“It wasn’t just a question of whether this franchise could work without Paul,” Vin Diesel said about Paul Walker’s death. “It was whether I could even survive doing it without Paul.” The 49-year-old actor got inspired to continue with the franchise after watching a video with Walker being certain they will get through eight films.

The interview refers to Collider’s report in November 2013, only days before Paul Walker’s death in a horrible car crash. According to the late actor, the studio thought of doing at least 10 films, possibly even more. Therefore, a seventh or eighth movie is already guaranteed."The studio supposedly wants 8, 9 and 10. I’ll be 50. Even if 7 were to [tank], there’s at least an 8. That’s a guarantee,” the actor said.

As explained by Vin Diesel to Total Film, Paul Walker’s death still loomed over the cast and crew during the production of the “Fast & Furious 8” movie. It was not just about making movies; rather, the actor-producer felt more pain over losing someone very important in his life.

After sharing strong bond and brotherhood, Paul Walker’s death had been a great struggle for Vin Diesel and the rest of the team. “Was there ever any moment I wasn’t thinking about him? That’s the question,” the father-of-three shared. “Every day I’d be saying, ‘This movie has to be amazing because of Paul.’”

As seen in the latest trailer for “Fast & the Furious 8,” Vin Diesel’s character Dominic Toretto sides with a cyber terrorist played by newcomer Charlize Theron. Turning his back on Family, Dom brings on even more problems for his wife, Letty (Michelle Rodriguez). The actress opened up about her character having to suffer emotionally in the movie. “But you can’t go happy after losing Paul, so I completely understand,” Rodriguez said of Paul Walker’s death. The “Fast & the Furious 8” premiere has been set on Apr. 15, 2017.