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Neal stared at him for a long time.
"You want Brian to be the anchor of the entire series?"
"You can put it that way. Dom is the soul, Brian is the anchor. Two men, two parallel lines, echoing and balancing each other. That's how the franchise can last."
Neal rubbed his face and let out a long breath.
"Raphael… this idea of yours is huge."
Raphael smiled.
"Is huge bad?"
Neal shook his head.
"Not bad, it's just… let me think."
For the next half month, Raphael locked himself in the office with a team of new writers, polishing the script.
They completely restructured the timeline:
The Fast and the Furious (1): Brian goes undercover in LA's street racing scene and lets Dom go.
Fast & Furious 2 (prequel): Brian enters the police academy — from green rookie to graduation, his first taste of the criminal world.
Fast & Furious 3 (prequel): Brian is sent to Miami for his first real undercover mission. He targets Carter Verone, gets pulled into the larger South American Reyes cartel, struggles in the darkness, completes the job, then gets assigned to his next mission in Los Angeles.
Neal would occasionally drop by to check progress. After reading a few pages he'd leave in silence.
Ron Meyer sent someone to ask once. Neal replied "still revising," and they stopped pushing.
One week later, the new outline reached Neal's desk.
After reading it, Neal immediately called Ron Meyer.
Ron called back quickly.
"I read the outline."
Then he laughed.
"This kid… wants the audience to see the ending first, then the beginning, and finally return to the starting point? Interesting."
Neal blinked.
"So your meaning is…"
"Shoot it!"
Ron Meyer said, "All department heads agree. Go with this version. Budget can be adjusted if needed."
Neal hung up and stared at the script cover on his desk, letting out a long breath.
He picked up the phone and called Ari.
"Have Raphael get ready. Next Monday, meeting with Paul Walker."
---
One week later. A quiet café in Beverly Hills.
Paul Walker sat in the corner, coffee in hand, staring out the window.
Raphael walked over and sat across from him.
"Paul."
Paul turned his head.
"Raphael. Finally meeting in person."
Raphael ordered an Americano.
They were silent for a few seconds.
Paul spoke first.
"Neal said you have a script you want me to look at?"
Raphael pulled a document from his bag and slid it across the table.
Paul looked at the cover — Fast & Furious 3, with a subtitle: Brian O'Conner Character Outline.
He flipped to the first page.
Ten minutes later he looked up.
"This story… takes place before the first film?"
Raphael nodded.
"Film 2 is the academy. Film 3 is his first undercover mission. Then comes Fast 1."
Paul stared at him for a long time.
"What do you want me to play?"
"Partner."
Raphael said, "The other undercover Brian meets in Miami. A man struggling in the darkness just like him. Heavy role, layered character — not a tool. Someone who can create real chemistry with Brian."
Paul asked, "You sure? If I take it, the media will say — 'Paul Walker, pushed out of Fast, returns as supporting actor'?"
Raphael smiled.
"Paul, let me ask you one question."
"What?"
"How many films do you think this series can make?"
Paul was caught off guard.
"This… depends on box office."
"If 2 and 3 succeed, there will definitely be 4, 5, and more."
Raphael continued, "When that happens, do you want to be there from the first film all the way to the end?"
Paul's eyes shifted.
Raphael kept talking.
"This isn't a supporting role. It's another anchor point. In the later films you'll have a full character arc, substantial screen time, and a story that runs parallel to Brian's. You're not there to prop anyone up — you're there to help carry the whole series."
Paul was silent for a long time.
The coffee went cold. The waiter came by to refill the water once.
Finally, Paul spoke.
"Why are you doing this?"
Raphael smiled.
"Because you're right for it."
"That simple?"
"That simple."
Raphael looked at him. "You have audience appeal, you have acting skill, you have professionalism. Most importantly, you and I both want this series to become something better."
Paul stared at him for a long time.
Then he smiled.
"You know what I thought the first time I saw you?"
"What?"
"I thought you were an asshole."
Raphael paused, then burst out laughing.
"And now?"
Paul stood up and extended his hand.
"Now I think you're an ambitious asshole."
Raphael shook it.
"Thanks for the compliment."
---
One week later, Universal issued an official announcement through the media:
"Paul Walker has officially joined Fast & Furious 2 & 3, co-starring alongside Raphael Lee. The two films will serve as prequels to the series, telling the story that takes place before The Fast and the Furious."
The news dropped, and the media went wild again.
The Hollywood Reporter gave it a small headline on page two: "Former Rival Becomes Ally — Paul Walker 'Returns' to the Fast Saga."
Vin Diesel's camp stayed quiet this time, seemingly accepting that the hype cycle had run its course.
Raphael was happy to stay out of it. The back-and-forth had been going on for nearly a month anyway, and the public was getting tired of it.
---
Mid-February. The weather in Los Angeles was starting to warm up.
Raphael officially joined the set of Fast & Furious 2 & 3.
The first scenes were shot in Miami.
The crew had closed off a section of road near South Beach. Dozens of modified cars lined up in a row — just looking at them made your blood pump.
Neal Moritz was on set personally. Ron Meyer even visited twice, stood behind the monitors watching for a while. Before leaving he patted Neal on the shoulder without saying a word.
Everyone knew what that meant — I'm watching you. Don't fuck it up.
Raphael's first scene was police academy training.
Director Rob Cohen made him crawl through mud eight times — soaked, face covered in dirt, still having to deliver lines to camera.
Paul Walker stood on the side watching. When Raphael finished, Paul handed him a bottle of water.
"You're working harder than I expected."
Raphael took the water and downed half of it.
"This is nothing."
Paul laughed.
"Alright, with that attitude I'm not worried."
The two hadn't met much before, but after that café conversation, Paul's attitude toward Raphael had clearly changed.
It wasn't the awkwardness of "you took my role" anymore — it was curiosity and respect.
As filming progressed, that curiosity turned into real chemistry.
After finishing the academy scenes, the crew moved to Miami streets.
The action sequences in 2 and 3 were massively upgraded — chases, explosions, gunfights, each one bigger than the last.
Neal brought in the industry's top stunt team. They had over fifty modified cars ready.
But that was also where the problems started.
The bigger the action, the higher the risk.
First week: a stunt driver lost brakes during a chase, slammed into the barrier, broke three ribs, rushed to hospital.
Second week: a prop car lost control during an explosion scene, debris flew, injuring two crew members.
Third week: the worst one — during a high-speed chase, the stunt Dodge Challenger flipped on a turn, rolled three times, roof completely crushed.
The driver was trapped inside. When they pulled him out he was unconscious.
The set descended into chaos.
Ambulances screamed in. The driver was rushed to the hospital.
Neal's face was paper-white, fists clenched so tight they cracked.
Media calls flooded Universal's PR department. The next day tabloids ran headlines: "Another Accident on Fast 2 Set — Stuntman's Life in Danger."
Those few days, the atmosphere on set was suffocating, ready to explode.
People started whispering privately that the project was too dangerous, that Neal was risking lives for big shots, that if they kept shooting like this someone was going to die.
Raphael said nothing.
He just stayed on set a little longer after wrap every day.
He'd walk past the injured crew members, pat their shoulders, say a few words — "You'll be okay," "Thanks for the hard work," "Rest up and heal."
When someone was especially shaken, he'd linger a few extra seconds. The Force flowed like warm water, gently soothing their frayed nerves.
No one noticed anything unusual.
They just felt there was something strangely comforting about the kid.
Paul was the first to notice.
One night after wrap, the two of them sat outside the trailer drinking beer and looking at the stars.
Paul suddenly spoke.
"Raphael, have you been doing something lately?"
Raphael turned to him.
"Doing what?"
"I can't explain it exactly."
Paul scratched his head. "It's just… every time you walk past the injured guys, they seem less panicked. At first I thought I was imagining it, but I'm not."
Raphael smiled.
"You're overthinking."
Paul stared at him for a few seconds, then shook his head.
"Fine, let's say I'm overthinking."
He raised his beer bottle.
"To you."
Raphael clinked it.
They kept watching the stars.
---
Half a month later, the severely injured stunt driver was out of danger and moved from ICU to a regular room.
When the news came, Paul threw an arm around Raphael's shoulders.
"Come on, let's go see him."
Raphael nodded.
They bought fruit and flowers and drove to the hospital.
The driver was lying in bed, face still bandaged, but his eyes were bright.
Seeing Raphael and Paul walk in, he froze.
"You guys… why are you here?"
Paul set the flowers on the bedside table.
"Came to check on you. How's recovery?"
"Not bad."
The driver grinned. "Doctor says two more months and I'll be back on my feet."
Paul patted his arm.
"Good to hear."
The driver looked at Raphael.
"Raphael, the day of the accident… my last thought before blacking out was 'It's over.' But for some reason, in the ambulance, I suddenly wasn't as scared anymore."
Raphael looked at him.
What no one knew was that before the ambulance arrived, he had already used the Force to stabilize the driver. Some of the fatal internal injuries had been reduced to serious ones — that was the real reason the man survived long enough to reach the hospital.
"Rest well. If you need anything, tell Neal."
The driver nodded quickly.
---