Scott Eastwood Signed onto 'The Fast & Furious' Because of Paul Walker

Earlier this year, Fate of the Furious rushed into theaters and altered the high-octane franchise in some big ways. The movie was the first to drift away from Brian O'Connor following Paul Walker's untimely passing, but one of the movie's stars says he joined the film because of the late actor.

During a recent event, Scott Eastwood took a break from promoting The Fate of the Furious to talk about why he joined the franchise. The actor's first stint in the series came from the eighth film, and Eastwood says his friendship with Walker is what led him to sign onto the movie.

"Paul was one of my best friends. He was like an older brother to me," Eastwood explained. "It was definitely an emotionally charged decision. Why not be part of something he was a part of?"

The comments are enough to make even the most hard-hearted Fast & Furious fan teary. At 31 years old, Eastwood and Walker were apparently close friends for nearly two decades before Walker tragically passed in 2013. Joining the car-centric franchise was a way for Eastwood to honor his friend.

Continuing, Eastwood revealed the team behind Fast & Furious were quick to welcome him into their squad. Stars like Vin Diesel made sure the newcomer was fitting in, and Eastwood says he is grateful for all their support.

"They accepted me Day 1. I can't thank everyone enough for bringing me in and treating me like family."

The movie's synopsis reads,

"In The Fate of the Furious, with Dom and Letty married, Brian and Mia retired and the rest of the crew exonerated, the globe-trotting team has found some semblance of a normal life. They soon face an unexpected challenge when a mysterious woman named Cipher forces Dom to betray them all. Now, they must unite to bring home the man who made them a family and stop Cipher from unleashing chaos."

NEXT: Fate of the Furious Official Review

The Fate of the Furious is directed by F. Gary Gray and written by Chris Morgan. The film stars Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges, Scott Eastwood, Nathalie Emmanuel, Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron.

The Fate of the Furious is available on Home Video. Plans for two more sequels in The Fast and the Furious franchise are already in place — as well as the upcoming spinoff starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham. The film currently holds an nice 75.81/100 score in our movie composite rankings - be sure to rate the film for yourself HERE.

Fate of the Furious will be available on Blu-ray and DVD on July 11th.

[HT] CinemaBlend