Whoa! Diesel throws curve into ‘Fate’ that leaves fans spinning
‘Good Dom’ gets back in control of his ‘Furious’ family after Cipher’s diversion — plus a lot more (spoiler alert)
Spoiler alert: This story contains details about the ending of The Fate of the Furious.
Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto did not truly “go rogue” in The Fate of the Furious, resuming his role as patriarch for an emotional final scene with his “family” — characters played by Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Dwayne Johnson.
That he returns to “good Dom” after being under the control of the villain Cipher (Charlize Theron) wasn’t exactly a surprise ending for the eighth chapter in the Fast and Furious franchise, which opened with $98.8 million domestically and set a $532 million record globally.
What did shock fans (and here’s where the real spoiler alerts come in) was Toretto showing off his love child with Elena Neves (played by Elsa Pataky, the reallife wife of Chris Hemsworth). Elena was the Rio cop who fell for Toretto in 2011’s Fast Five. The couple’s idyllic life in the Canary Islands ended abruptly when Dom’s girl Letty (Rodriguez) returned after seemingly being killed.
But the seeds of love had already been planted, and it’s revealed they have a love child before Elena meets her screen demise in Fate.
The movie’s traditional barbecue scene marked the baby’s introduction to the rest of the family and Letty. Even more dramatically, Dom announced that the child would be named after Brian O’Conner, the beloved Fu-- rious character played by Paul Walker.
Walker died in a 2013 car crash. Furious 7, underway when he died, ended with the words “For Paul.”
The onscreen baby-naming marked the most prominent Walker tribute in Fate and was inspired by real life. After Diesel’s longtime girlfriend Paloma Jiménez gave birth to the couple’s third child in 2015, he named their daughter Pauline after Walker. Diesel and Jiménez had another name chosen, but made the dramatic change in the hospital.
“When I was in the delivery room with my youngest daughter, my mom was there. And she said it felt like Paul was in the room with me. My mother said that,” Diesel tells USA TODAY. “We had already decided the baby’s name. And when I went to actually write that down, I ended up writing ‘Pauline’.”
Pauline was the ultimate nod to friend and franchise co-star Walker, whom Diesel calls his “brother.”
“That was the greatest tribute I could give to the man offscreen,” says Diesel. “And so the greatest tribute I could give Paul’s character was that scene.”
Director F. Gary Gray says the tribute just worked.
“This was just the best way to end this story and also pay homage to Paul,” says Gray, who acknowledged the scene was “tough shooting. It was very emotional for everyone involved.”
The scene was made all the more powerful by the adorable film baby, a scene stealer named Carlos.
“As soon as we rolled the camera, he’d do exactly what he was supposed to do and then some,” says Gray. “He was a miracle baby.”
The story will shift dramatically as Diesel fronts Fast & Furious
9, which begins filming next year for release April 19, 2019.
Diesel doesn’t give any hints except that Dom will be a proud dad.
“What we know for sure is what Dom has in his arms,” says Diesel.