Meadow Walker, the only child of the late Paul Walker, shared an emotional reunion with her godfather Vin Diesel at the 79th annual Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday. The 27-year-old model and the 58-year-old actor were in France to mark the 25th anniversary of The Fast and the Furious with a special midnight screening at the Palais des Festivals.
A Heartfelt Embrace
Meadow beamed as she embraced Diesel, whose black blazer bore the logo of Fast Forever, the 11th and final film of the $7.5 billion-grossing franchise. Diesel, who famously walked Meadow down the aisle at her wedding to aspiring actor Louis Thornton-Allan, spoke emotionally before the screening. He said: 'This is a film where brotherhood is introduced by myself and my brother Pablo. And the person that was not going to let me come alone here, they represent that brotherhood, was Meadow Walker. I'm going to go and shed a tear real quick.'
A Tribute to a Father
As the credits rolled, Meadow described the ensemble cast as a 'source of strength,' and Diesel added that her father would be 'so proud' of her, according to People. Meadow, who divorced Thornton-Allan in 2024 after two years of marriage, has previously appeared in a cameo as a flight attendant in Fast X, which earned $714.4 million at the box office in 2023.
Franchise Legacy
Last year, Diesel sparked controversy by teasing that his character Dom Toretto would 'reunite' with Walker's Brian O'Conner in Fast Forever. Fans recall that Furious 7 used CGI to recreate Walker's face, superimposed over stand-ins including his brothers Cody and Caleb. The undercover LAPD detective-turned-street racer officially 'retired' in the 2015 installment.
Cannes Red Carpet
For the red carpet, Meadow wore a chartreuse sleeveless turtleneck dress with a ruffled skirt and translucent black heels, styled by Alexandra Carl. Her signature raven bob was coiffed by Owen Gould, with natural makeup by Anne Sophie Costa. Michelle Rodriguez playfully snuck behind the heiress, wearing a pink and silver sequin gown with a beige train. Meadow also shared an Instagram story of silhouettes with Jordana Brewster.
Upcoming Film
Fast Forever, scheduled for release on March 17, 2028, will bring back stars including Jason Statham, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Momoa, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Tyrese Gibson, and Ludacris. In honor of the anniversary, the Paul Walker Foundation and Alltroo are holding a rally ending May 22 for fans to win $25,000 cash and a Twin Turbo Mark IV Toyota Supra inspired by Walker's iconic car.
Remembering Paul Walker
Meadow was only 15 when her father died in 2013 at age 40 in a car crash. She received $7.2 million in a 2014 settlement from the Rodas estate and settled a separate lawsuit with Porsche in 2017. Walker's remains were buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills.
