Fast & Furious

Paul Walker's brother says Vin Diesel and the rest of the 'Fast and the Furious' family made the right move letting his character ride off into the sunset ... and he thinks Paul would get a kick out of where the franchise is these days.

We got Cody Walker at Sancho's Tacos in Huntington Beach and asked how he feels about the way 'F&F' has honored his bro's legacy with the 9th installment about to hit theaters.

Cody says Vin and co. have done a really good job of tastefully paying tribute to Paul's character, Brian O'Conner, and he thinks Paul would have never imagined the franchise going this far.

As you know ... Paul died in a fiery wreck in November 2013. The crash didn't happen on the set, but he was in the middle of filming "Furious 7" at the time. The script for the 8th installment referred to Paul's character a few times.

It's pretty cool ... Cody says he was in middle school when the OG 'F&F' came out, and his brother's movie is what Cody credits for his own love of cars. He says folks stop him in the street all the time to tell him Paul is the reason they love cars, and he always has the same response ... "Me too!!!"

We also asked Cody about one of the original movie cars -- Paul's orange 1994 Toyota Supra -- going up for auction later this month. Cody's anticipating a huge figure for the winning bid, and he tells us why Paul would think the whole sale is hilarious.

Speaking of fast cars ... Cody's FuelFest is coming to Los Angeles later this month, right before the movie release, featuring some of the top custom, exotic, rare and exclusive cars from all over the world ... along with live music, drifting and drag racing.

When the "Fast & Furious" franchise revs up its engines again for the 9th installment, you might notice a familiar, but much younger-looking face ... because it's Vin Diesel's kid!!!

Vin's 10-year-old son, Vincent Sinclair, will be making his big-screen debut this summer in 'F&F9' ... as the younger version of Vin's character, Dominic Toretto.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ ... lil Vin's playing the role of Younger Dom and actually filmed his scenes way back in late 2019 when he was a budding 9-year-old Thespian.

It's unclear how much screen time Vin's boy will get, but his minor's contract says he got paid a daily rate of $1,005. Not bad take-home for a kid who, let's be honest, probably woulda done it for a pack of gum.

BTW -- there was a flashback to a younger Dominic already in 'Furious 7,' but the character was played by an actor named Alex McGee.

FILE UNDER: Things you NEVER want to see your star left tackle do.

San Francisco 49ers star offensive lineman Trent Williams posted video on his IG story which appears to show him in the driver's seat pushing 125 MPH in a super-expensive Ferrari ... and it's concerning, to say the least.

The video is shot by the driver as the speedometer ticks upward from the 90s into a top speed of 125 -- and you can see the whip racing by other vehicles on the Freeway.

Obviously, the driver is smashing speed limits and endangering other drivers -- all while Lil Durk's "Fabricated" blasts in the background.

We reached out to Williams for comment but haven't heard back yet.

It's important to note, Williams recently posted a photo with what appears to be a 2019 Ferrari 488 Pista ... and the IG story video looks like the same car.

FYI -- the thing is a rocket ship on wheels ... and usually sells for more than $400,000!!

Of course, we're pretty sure Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch ain't going to love seeing this ... especially after they traded draft picks to Washington to acquire the guy in April.

Also, remember NFL star Jason Pierre Paul got into a bad accident while behind the wheel of a Ferrari 488 Pista back in May 2019 ... suffering a neck injury that required major surgery.

Williams is a potential future Hall of Famer -- he's made seven Pro Bowls in nine seasons ... but sat out all of 2019 over a dispute with Washington because he says team docs misdiagnosed his cancer.

John Ross' NFL combine record is in serious trouble this week ... 'cause Alabama star receiver Henry Ruggs WILL run a 4.20 40-yard dash in Indy -- so says his Tide teammate.

"Somewhere around that range," Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs tells TMZ Sports. "That kid's fast!"

Of course, Ross currently holds the mark for quickest 40 time ever at the NFL's marquee pre-draft event ... logging a 4.22 back in 2017.

But Ruggs has a legit shot of breaking that mark when receivers run this week ... because during his time at 'Bama -- he FLEW by defenders on a regular basis.

"Ruggs is real fast," Diggs tells us. "He's going to run a real, real, real good time."

As for how that pure speed will translate to the NFL ... Diggs says he has no doubts the guy will be a stud -- saying his skill level is right on par with Tide superstar Jerry Jeudy's.

"He got good routes, he's fast, he's a playmaker as well," Diggs says. "Like, you get the ball in his hands, like, no one is going to catch him. Like, nobody."

Breath easy, WWE fans ... Roman Reigns ain't leaving wrestling for his budding acting career. At least not yet.

Roman joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and dude couldn't looked more HYPED talking about his role on "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw." If you've been living under a rock ... 'Hobbs & Shaw' is the first 'Furious' spin-off starring Roman's cousin, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham.

It's Roman's first acting gig in Hollywood so naturally we had to ask -- if he had to choose, which route would he go, wrestling or Hollywood? The 34-year-old wrestler didn't skip a beat ... telling us he's got at LEAST 5 years left in the ring.

'Hobbs & Shaw' has been highly anticipated for some time now and no doubt it has huge blockbuster potential with Friday's opening around the corner. But, does the film have enough horsepower to take down "The Lion King" and its MASSIVE $192 million opening weekend?

Princess Love fans rejoice ... Ray J's wife is NOT leaving 'Love & Hip Hop' ... quite the opposite, actually, she's starring in the franchise's biggest ad campaign of the year!!!

Princess raised eyebrows a few weeks ago when, out of the blue, she announced she was leaving the reality show ... but we've learned she's not going anywhere.

Sources close to the famous couple tell TMZ ... Princess had an issue with the show's production schedule and producers, and that's why she threatened to leave 'L&HH' in the dust. In the end, cooler heads prevailed, and now she's front and center in a major show promo.

We've obtained video and photos of Princess Love and Ray J on set for a new crossover ad campaign between VH1, MTV and the upcoming 'Fast & Furious' movie ... and it's pretty awesome.

Princess and Ray J are starring alongside 'Jersey Shore' alums Pauly D and Vinny, who are promoting their new MTV show ... and the ads are gonna make it look like the reality stars are in the new blockbuster.

The couple's manager, David Weintraub, tells TMZ, "Starring in L&HH is a rollercoaster, when you ride that ride, there are days when you want to be in the show and some days you want to quit. Love always prevails and sometimes you just have to shoot it."

Tyrese is joining forces with Paul Walker's brother to put on an event that will have car enthusiasts -- and 'Fast & Furious' fans -- salivating ... and it's for a good cause too.

The 'F&F' star is the special guest at Cody Walker's FuelFest later this summer in the UK, which will feature some of the top custom, exotic, rare and exclusive cars from all over the world ... along with live music, art and more celebs.

We're told some of those celebs will be straight from the set of "Fast & Furious 9," which is scheduled to begin filming nearby in London during the fest.

As you can see, Tyrese and Cody are stoked to launch the car show in Europe ... but Cody's still making some adjustments to the local scene ... mechanically speaking.

FuelFest just launched in Southern Cal in March, and after this UK event at the historic Warren Estate on August 11, it will head back to the U.S. for a show in Miami.

Tickets go on sale next week, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit Paul's charity -- Reach Out WorldWide -- an organization that helps provide aid to places hit by natural disasters.

12:37 PM -- John's family tells TMZ the famed director suffered a stroke Wednesday while at the hospital. He's currently in the ICU and under great medical care. The family adds, "We ask that privacy be given to him and our family at this time and appreciate all of the prayers that have been pouring in from his fans, friends and colleagues."

John Singleton has suffered a stroke ... family members tell TMZ.

The legendary director and screenwriter is in the hospital ... we've learned he checked himself in earlier this week after experiencing weakness in his leg. A family member tells TMZ, John had flown back from Costa Rica and the plane flight may have triggered the medical emergency.

We're told doctors are performing tests and also doing rehab. The stroke was described to us as "mild."

As you know, Singleton is iconic in the entertainment industry ... hitting like thunder with his directorial debut ... "Boyz n the Hood" back in 1991. He was nominated for 2 Oscars -- Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. He was the youngest filmmaker to get nominations in the 2 categories.

He had close ties with the Jackson family, directing Michael Jackson's music video, "Remember the Time" and directing Janet Jackson in "Poetic Justice." His other credits include "Rosewood," "Shaft," "2 Fast 2 Furious," and "Four Brothers."

Singleton received accolades for directing "The People vs. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story," "Empire," and "Billions."

Snoop Dogg is asking people to pray for John.

John has been teaching at his alma mater recently ... USC Film School. He's teaching a course titled "Film and Culture."

The 51-year-old also co-created "Snowfall," which chronicles the crack epidemic in the 1980s in Los Angeles.

Originally published -- 8:48 AM PT

Tyrese admits airing his dirty laundry with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was NOT cool ... straight-up calling it unprofessional.

Tyrese took himself to task when he talked to Van Lathan on 'The Red Pill' podcast. You'll recall he accused his 'Fast & Furious' costar of being selfish when Johnson's 'F&F' spin-off movie shoot schedule pushed back the release date of 'Furious 9.'

He copped to going about it all wrong, but stopped shy of apologizing. In fact, Tyrese says he wasn't the only one pissed off at Dwayne. Still, he's laying the groundwork to squash the beef ... though, it hasn't happened yet.

Be sure to check out the entire episode when it drops on SoundCloud later Tuesday.

Vin Diesel's definitely cool ... but not too cool to not go back to school.

The 'Fast & Furious' star returned to Hunter College of the City University of New York almost 30 years after he left the school to pursue his Hollywood dream ... proudly holding his honorary Ph.D on Wednesday as he gave the school's commencement speech in front of nearly 2,000 grads at Radio City Music Hall.

Vin's undoubtedly one of the college's most notable alumni -- but the nod's gotta go to Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. Vin credited his time at Hunter for helping him launch his career. The former English major wrote a screenplay and acted in that film, that ultimately caught the eye of Steven Spielberg. Steven then went on to write a part specifically for Vin in a little movie called "Saving Private Ryan."

Congrats, Vin!! Check that ... Dr. Diesel!!

Tyrese says he's not mad at The Rock for doing a spin-off of 'Fast & Furious,' but then Tyrese goes after him with a vengeance, essentially saying he's a selfish actor who screwed his loyal fan base just to get ahead.

We got the 'Fast' actor Tuesday, chillin' in a limo near Catch, and asked about what we thought was his social media feud with Dwayne Johnson. At first Tyrese says there's no beef, but watch him ratchet up the rhetoric as he continues to grouse that the release date of 'F9' was pushed back to 2020 to accommodate The Rock's work schedule for the spin-off.

Sounds like beef to us.

Michelle Rodriguez doubled down and said 'Fast & Furious' better show women some love in the next couple flicks or she's saying deuces.

We got Michelle out Monday in Bev Hills and asked her about what she said in June ... about the franchise needing to put some shine on women in the next flick ... "or I just might have to say goodbye to a loved franchise."

FYI, the 9th and 10th installments are slated for 2019 and 2021.

Don't worry about The Rock and Vin Diesel's old beef standing in the way of future 'Fast & Furious' flicks 'cause the money train can't be stopped ... according to their co-star, Tyrese.

We got Tyrese leaving Bootsy Bellows Tuesday night and asked him what the huge box office numbers for "The Fate of the Furious" means for the future. His answer is interesting -- he compares the filmmaking process to flipping houses.

FYI, it debuted with $532 million worldwide on a $250 million budget.

Ludacris is so PUMPED his new flick's become a global phenomenon he's either chowing down on chicken and chugging beer or jamming to one of his old jams -- or both.

The rapper was heading into an event Tuesday night at Times Square in NYC when we asked him how he's celebrating "The Fate of the Furious" reportedly having the biggest global opening in movie history with a whopping $532 million in its first weekend.

The Rock and Vin Diesel have buried the hatchet and both will star in the next installment of the insanely popular 'Fast and the Furious' franchise ... sources involved in the production tell TMZ.

Our sources say Vin and Dwayne have met privately several times since animosity between them exploded on the set of "The Fate of the Furious." We're told they are "good" and both are "1000% in" for the next flick.

The sources are opening up about the feud ... one explaining it was all over "real estate." In movie language, real estate is all about how much an actor shines -- who gets the best action scenes, who gets the hottest girl, who shows off their body more, and who gets the most face time.

It became a big issue for Dwayne and Vin, but ultimately, Dwayne acknowledged it was Vin's movie -- he's listed #1 on the call sheet.

The one thing the feud was not about ... money. They both make a fortune off the franchise.

Paul Walker could be standing tall in San Clemente thanks to some surfer bros who begged the City Council for a statue of their hero "in the midst of gnarly times."

Self-proclaimed freelance journalist Chad Kroeger made the pitch at last Tuesday's meeting, and his rationale for the 12 foot Paul statue is comedy gold ... and also, kinda touching. Chad's buddy gets up there too for some fond words on "unifying figure" Paul.

Dude, we can't even describe it ... you just have to watch this.