It is confirmed that Paul Walker's brothers Caleb and Cody have agreed to be part of "Fast and Furious 7" as a tribute to their late brother's work. But there's one brother who will continue Bryan O'Connor's legacy—Cody Walker.
Cody will not be a replacement. Rather, he will have a whole new character of his own. Mirror reports that Cody may continue on to star in "Fast and Furious 8" as his character has already joined the gang in the upcoming installment. So, it won't really be hard to make the new character blend in.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst and veteran box office expert shared his opinion about Cody being part of the box office franchise. "If Walker's brother does a great job and is well received by audiences in this newly conceived role, then who better to carry on the Walker tradition than his brother? ... when it's a family member who fills in, it seems to soften any criticism that could develop. Look at Jason Bonham (son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham), when he has filled in for his respected and beloved father, everyone was cool with it because they kept it in the family. Universal is keeping it in the family and it's tough to argue with the strategy... I think that it's a meritocracy and that's appropriate," he said, as reported by Movie Pilot.
Ludacris, who has been a part of the movie franchise since the early movies, also shared his opinion about Cody and Caleb joining the cast. He describes the experience as "scary" because the two brothers look and sound just like the late Paul Walker.
If you're very happy about this news, Paul's dad is the one to thank. He told New York Daily News that he had a hand in convincing the two brothers to join the crew as the two were very skeptical before agreeing.
"Fast and Furious 7" has resumed filming and will hit theaters Apr. 10, 2015.
