Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster on Paul Walker’s future with the franchise

Fast & Furious star Jordana Brewster hopes Paul Walker’s character will live on in the franchise.

Walker was a key part of the action films, achieving international fame for playing undercover police officer and street racer Brian O’Connor.

He died aged 40 in 2013 following a car crash in Southern California but the Fast & Furious franchise decided to keep Brian alive and includes tributes to Walker with each new instalment.

Brewster, 41, plays Mia Toretto, Brian’s love interest and told the PA news agency: “I would love Brian to remain alive in the universe. Brian remaining alive within the Fast & Furious universe is the best way of honouring Paul. So hopefully that remains.

“Hopefully we continue to have these beautiful nods to him, I think those are the best way to honour him.”

Speculation has intensified that Walker’s daughter, 22-year-old model Meadow, could join the franchise that made her father a beloved figure with millions of fans around the world.

Brewster said she would be delighted to see Meadow as part of the Fast & Furious “family”.

Speaking to mark the release of the director’s cut of F9, she told PA: “I think it would be really cool – if she wants to. Now she’s this supermodel and her career’s taking off and that’s really, really cool and I’m super proud of her.

“But it’s up to what she wants to do and whether she wants to be a part of it.”

Justin Lin directed F9 and will be back for films 10 and 11, which are set to wrap up the six billion dollar (£4.4 billion) franchise.

He recalled conversations with both Walker and Vin Diesel, the other central star of Fast & Furious, about their plans to bring the films to a fitting end.

Lin said the “spirit of those conversations is what’s leading me, hopefully to find the essence”.

He added: “So in that sense, he’s (Walker) a huge part of this final chapter and there’s a responsibility and respect factor that I hope to be able to find in how we are able to address that.”

The director’s cut of F9 is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.