Vin Diesel has admitted he felt like Paul Walker had “sent” John Cena to play his on-screen brother Jakob Toretto in Fast & Furious 9.

Walker, who passed away in 2013, was an original star of the franchise, appearing as Brian O’Conner up until 2015’s Furious 7.

• READ MORE: ‘Fast & Furious 9’ review: slick but safe sequel never reaches top gear

Speaking to NME, Diesel opened up about casting wrestler Cena in the most recent film, admitting: “I’m a multi-cultural actor, you could’ve picked anybody to be my brother.

“So there was a great moment of anxiety when it came time to think about who you would cast to be Jakob. And I was in my Dom shrine getting ready for the film, and getting into that Dom state of mind.

“And one morning John Cena walked in, and I don’t know – people might not get this or might think I’m crazy, but I felt like Paul Walker had sent him in to play Jakob. And I didn’t think about it anymore, I said, ‘That’s Jakob.’ And the rest is history.”

For his part, Cena admitted to NME that he didn’t initially realise why he was meeting with Diesel, recalling: “For one reason or another, Vin wanted to get together and talk, and after a lengthy conversation, I got an invite to the Fast family. Of course it would be something I’d want to do, but the question is how would I even go about it?”

He added: “He never once said. I loved our time together… I was hanging out with Vin Diesel! It was really cool!”

Meanwhile, Fast & Furious 9 is on track to break a big pandemic-era box office record in the US following its debut, Variety reporting that it is set for an intake of $68m (£49m) on opening weekend.

In NME’s review of the film, we wrote: “It all accelerates towards a genuinely thrilling finale that pivots between full-throttle action and intense sentimentality, making Fast & Furious 9 feel a bit like a bear hug from your gruff older brother after you’ve nearly chucked up on a roller coaster.

“Like so many things in the F&F franchise, it shouldn’t work but somehow does. Here’s to the next billion dollars at the box office.”

‘Fast & Furious 9’ is in UK cinemas now