‘Fast and Furious 8’ Release Date, Cast & Update: Brian O’Conner Is Not Coming Back; Series Moves On Without Paul Walker

The success of "Fast and Furious 7" is undeniably the main reason why a sequel is a must-have. While several fans are excited for the upcoming "Fast and Furious" installment, new reports claimed that Cody Walker - brother of the late Paul Walker - will not be returning to play as Brian O'Conner.

Screen Rant reported that the management and production team behind the forthcoming "Fast and Furious 8" will be heading into a different direction without Paul. While they acknowledge the contribution of the well-loved actor to the franchise, they said that the story must go on despite his demise.

Universal Studios confirmed that Brian will not be returning in the "Fast and Furious 8 movie. As a matter of fact, Polygon supported this claim as a representative from the popular American film studio that Cody will not be coming back to join the cast of the impending film.

Reports about Paul's younger brother's comeback in the film sparked after NBC Universal's Ron Meyer stated that Brian is still a part of the future installments. He even said at that time that Cody will be reprising the role on his brother's behalf.

However, an unnamed representative has made it clear already and said that it is untrue, saying that "there's no truth behind it." With this, fans stated that the entertainment executive may have been misquoted.

Meanwhile, though Paul's character is not coming back, other stars of the series are confirmed to be reprising their roles including Vin Diesel (Dominic Toretto), Michelle Rodriguez (Letty Toretto), Ludacris (Tej Parker), Jason Statham (Deckard Shaw), Tyrese Gibson (Roman Pearce) and Dwayne Johnson (Hobbs).

"Fast and Furious 8" is slated for release on April 17, 2017 in the United States.

How do you feel now that Paul Walker's character Brian O'Conner is not coming back in "Fast and Furious 8"? Share to us your thoughts in the comment section below.