After completing three films in The Fast and the Furious franchise, star Paul Walker put the future of the extremely successful films in limbo when he decided not to accept a role in the fourth film. Walker's cameo role in the third film, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, seemed to suggest that his involvement with the franchise was winding down, but when the studio asked him to return for the fourth film, it reportedly envisioned Walker in a starring role. Walker disagreed.
"I thought [the franchise] was stale," Walker told the Los Angeles Times. "I was like, 'Are you kidding me? Really?' Obviously, we made the first one that catered to pop culture and a youth-driven audience. But trends shift overnight with that audience. Nine years later, I really questioned if there was even an audience anymore."
Denied by Walker, the franchise's producer, Neal Moritz, pulled out the heavy artillery, calling on Walker's co-star and friend, Vin Diesel, to help persuade "Brian O'Conner" to return to the fold.
The plan worked. Diesel reportedly convinced Walker to return for one more film — a commitment that later morphed into four more films. Sadly, Walker died in a car crash before filming on Furious 7 was complete. To finish that movie, Walker's two brothers stepped in to fill in the blanks for the performance.
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