Vin Diesel says Paul Walker’s daughter sent him a throwback photo of him with the late actor ahead of ‘Fast 9’s’ release: ‘Hope to make you proud’

• Vin Diesel shared a throwback photo of himself and the late Paul Walker on Instagram.
• Diesel said he hopes "Fast 9" makes Walker proud.
• "F9" is already out in China. It will be released in North America on June 25.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Vin Diesel hopes the next "Fast and the Furious" movie makes the late Paul Walker proud.

Sunday, the "F9" star shared an old photo of himself with Walker while reflecting on the film franchise, which turns 20 in June.

Diesel and Walker are smiling wide in the photo that Diesel said was shared with him by Walker's 22-year-old daughter, Meadow, who also happens to be his goddaughter.

"@meadowwalker sends me this image and tells me how happy the photo makes her feel," Diesel shared on Instagram.

A post shared by Vin Diesel (@vindiesel)

"Naturally, one gets filled with emotion, purpose and ultimately gratitude," he continued in the caption. "Eternal brotherhood is a blessing beyond words. Hope to make you proud ... All love, Always."

Around the same time as Diesel's post, Meadow Walker shared a snapshot of a text thread on Instagram. In it is a photograph of herself, wearing what appears to be her father's sunglasses.

A response, likely from Diesel, reads, "Where the brotherhood began."

Diesel commented on the Instagram post with a simple prayer emoji.

A post shared by Meadow Walker (@meadowwalker)

Walker died at the age of 40 in 2013 after he was involved in a single-car accident.

The late actor starred in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise as one of its two leads, former FBI agent Brian O'Connor, alongside Diesel's Dominic Toretto. The two played on-screen spiritual brothers, who became just as close in real life.

Walker was last seen in 2015's "Furious 7," which appeared to retire the character from the franchise at its end. A title card at the film's end reads, "For Paul."

The late actor's brother, Cody, who briefly appeared in "Furious 7" to help complete Walker's unfinished scenes along with his brother Caleb, told TMZ he's happy with how the franchise has handled honoring his brother.

"I think Vin and the whole family have done a good job tastefully letting the character ride off into the sunset. I think Paul would get a real kick out of where it's gone. It's gotten so crazy. It's a wild, wild ride at this point," Cody said.

As teased in trailers for the film, we'll at least see footage of Walker's character in "F9."

In the new film, John Cena joins the cast, playing Diesel's onscreen brother, who's estranged. Diesel told press he felt as though Walker had sent Cena his way to be a part of the franchise.

"I remember talking to [director] Justin [Lin] that night and saying, 'My gut and my heart feels like this was meant to be,'" Diesel said, according to ComicBook.com.

Currently, there are two more planned films in the main "Fast and the Furious" franchise. Lin will close out the main saga with the 11th film, which Diesel noted on Instagram is in pre-production.

It's believed the 10th film may be split into two parts. Deadline previously reported the final two films will "tell a big story over two films," which will focus on Toretto (Diesel), Letty (Michelle Rodriguez), Roman (Tyrese), Tej (Ludacris), Ramsay (Nathalie Emmanuel), Mia (Jordana Brewster), and Han (Sung Kang).

"Fast 9" will be in North American theaters on June 25.