BRIE Larson is the new Fast & Furious movie’s secret weapon and has emerged as the successor to the late Paul Walker’s role, an insider has told The U.S. Sun.
The Oscar-winning star, 33, has been brought on for a major but still secretive role in Fast X, which will be released in May.
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Franchise lead man Vin Diesel, 55, is said to have used his Marvel connections to help enlist Brie, who he featured alongside in Avengers: Endgame.
A well-placed Hollywood source tells The U.S. Sun that Fast & Furious fans may be surprised at her prominence in the new movie.
Her role is even being touted as akin to Paul Walker’s beloved character Brian O’Conner before the actor was tragically killed in a car crash in November 2013.
The insider said: ”Vin is very taken with Brie and insists that this role is going to put her back on the very top of the A-list.
“She’s in the movie a lot and has even re-shot some scenes to boost her presence in the movie.
“You can see her really emerging as a worthy successor to Paul Walker’s role in the series.
“With Vin in his mid-fifties, he’s intent on luring in younger viewers who only found these films in the last five or six years.
“Brie is the key to all that and, in success, she could be sticking around a while.
“The collaboration has worked out well for both of them, but ultimately, the fans will decide if they like her in these movies or not.”
FRANCHISE FINALE
Brie is joining the Fast & Furious cast alongside fellow newcomer Jason Momoa, who set to play the villain in Fast X.
The movie is set to be the first in a two-part finale for the franchise before the main cast retires to allow others to take over new spin-off movies.
Brie’s character is known to be called Tess but not much else has been revealed about her so far.
Walker played the second in command to Vin’s lead character Dominic Toretto in the franchise’s first seven movies.
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He passed away aged 40 when the Porsche Carrera GT he was being driven in by his friend Roger Rodas crashed in Santa Clarita, California.
Furious 7 was released posthumously in 2015, with Walker’s scenes completed using doubles and computer-generated visual effects.
Vin has heavily hinted that Walker’s character will be brought back in CGI form in Fast X.
He told fans in an Instagram post in March last year: “There are angels coming to this mythology that will make you all smile.”
BIG BUDGET
The U.S. Sun’s source explained that brining a huge star like Brie into the fold had tangible financial benefits for Vin and the franchise.
The insider said: ”Vin brought in Brie and Jason to the franchise in part to make sure that the budgets for these movies stay high.
“That has been the strategy since Fast Five in 2011, which introduced Dwayne Johnson to the series and essentially supercharged its cultural relevance in the process.”
Fast X promises to be the most expensive instalment in the wildly successful franchise since it first launched over 20 years ago.
In April last year, sources told The Hollywood Reporter that Fast X’s budget was “creeping upwards of the $300 million mark.”
That was without any of the marketing and publicity costs, which will include a trailer at the Super Bowl on February 12.
The U.S. Sun reported earlier this week that Vin has has taken total control of the new movie to make sure it isn’t “too European” and the franchise stays true to its muscle car roots.
The film’s original director Justin Lin left the project last year following what was described at the time as a “major disagreement” between him and Vin.
He was replaced at the helm by Frenchman Louis Leterrier, whose previous work includes the Jason Statham vehicle The Transporter and Edward Norton’s turn as The Incredible Hulk in 2008.
The insider explained studio execs at Universal have been more than happy to treat it as Vin’s baby.
The Fast & Furious franchise is the biggest in Universal’s history and has grossed over $6billion at the box office so far.
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