Despite being killed off in the third (and due to the timeline also the seventh) movie, it looks like Sung Kang’s Fast and Furious character Han could still be back for more. Over now eight films and seventeen years the street-race-cum-heist series has built up a massive cast (or family) of characters who work together in a run of high-stakes stunt stories.
One of the most popular was Han Seoul-Oh (his name an obvious homage to Star Wars’ Han Solo). Introduced in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, he was the highlight of the otherwise derided third installment. So much so that, despite being killed in the film’s finale, writer Chris Morgan (who has worked on every film since) restructured the timeline to bring him back; entries 4 through 6 were set between the events of 2 and 3. The series finally caught up with this in Furious 7, revealing Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was behind Han's death, although that still may not be the complete end of the character.
/Film recently sat down with Morgan to discuss The Fate of the Furious, the series’ impending eighth movie and asked about the possibility of a second return, which the writer indicated wasn’t out of the question:
“Now, that’s funny because I’ve actually been thinking about that a lot. So it’s interesting that you and I are on the same wavelength there. But I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out. I love Sung – he’s one of my favorite people on the planet.”
Han stood out for his cool demeanor and constant snacking (he also played particularly well to cinephiles thanks to being technically brought over from Justin Lin's Better Luck Tomorrow). Even after five movies, it’s clear there’s both fan and creator interest in more, and in a series as all-out bonkers as Fast and Furious if something can happen, it quite possibly will. Indeed, seeing as there’s already been one major franchise change made to fit him in, then it certainly wouldn’t be the most egregious decision to bring Han back.
That said, resurrecting the character could trivialize both Han’s legacy and death in the franchise. Bringing him back for four more post-murder appearances was already a lot of appreciation and further plot restructuring could harm the otherwise rather flowing story. Besides, the trick's already happened once before with Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty in Fast 6 and on a more emotional level could risk undoing the heartfelt ending to Brian O'Connor's arc after Paul Walker’s real-life death. A flashback or something less linear could be more fitting though, especially as Han entered the series fully formed.
Of course, at this stage Morgan is just musing and has no clear plans for a return. Vin Diesel has talked about how The Fate of the Furious is the start of a new (possibly final) trilogy within the series, bringing in new characters and beginning fresh story threads. With that in mind, dredging up Han may not be the best move, although for something as big as Fast and Furious and with such a fevered fanbase the series could definitely make it work.
Source: /Film
