Vin Diesel remembers Paul Walker at Cannes Fast and Furious screening

Vin Diesel was overcome with emotion as he remembered his late co-star Paul Walker at the 25th-anniversary screening of The Fast and the Furious at the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday.

The franchise's leading man reunited with Paul's 27-year-old daughter Meadow Walker and his co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster for a midnight screening of the 2001 street racing film at the Grand Lumiere Theatre.

Addressing the sold-out crowd inside the theatre, Diesel took a moment to compose himself before emotionally saying, "I pray that in your life, you can have a brother like Paul."

According to Variety, Meadow, Brewster and Rodriguez also wiped away tears as the audience gave them a four-minute standing ovation.

"It's so hard for me to watch it because there's so many moments in this movie that you see, that I see differently," Diesel continued. "The scene that you see, I see the moment Pablo (Paul) told me he had a one-year-old daughter."

He went on to recall a poignant moment he shared with Meadow earlier that day, telling the crowd, "She said, 'I'm 27, and I'm watching this film that my father made at 27,' and I thought, 'How profound.' Meadow has been such a source of strength, and I know he'd be so proud of you."

Diesel also gave a special shout-out to Meadow for joining the cast at the festival to represent her father, who died in a fiery car crash in 2013 at the age of 40.

"This is a film where brotherhood was introduced to our millennium, by myself and my brother Pablo," Diesel said. "And the person that was not going to let me come alone here to represent that brotherhood is Meadow Walker."

The 2001 film kicked off the high-octane action franchise, which is expected to conclude with the eleventh instalment Fast Forever in March 2028.

Diesel, who wore a blazer featuring "Fast Forever" in rhinestones on the back, assured fans that they wanted to make them "proud" with the final chapter.

"I'm gonna go and shed a tear real quick, but I just want you all to know, the only reason why we're making the finale of Fast for 2028 is because of each and every one of you that has given us your hearts and your loyalty," he gushed.