Actor Sung Kang reveals the mysterious return of his character in Fast and Furious 9 is directly tied to the franchise's familial themes. The latest installment in the Fast and Furious saga brings Kang back as Han Lue for the first time since Furious 7. The character was introduced in a 2006 spin-off film, Tokyo Drift, which was later retconned to take place between parts 6 and 7.
Han was killed at the end of Tokyo Drift, but the film's producers wanted to bring him back for 2009's Fast & Furious (the fourth film), resulting in the franchise's unusual timeline. Furious 7's villain, Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), was revealed to be behind Han's death, and part of that film's plot saw the team trying to kill Shaw to avenge their fallen friend. Han's appearance in the trailer, alongside two other Tokyo Drift characters, suggests the character was alive throughout the events of Furious 7 and its sequel, The Fate of the Furious.
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In an LA Times article spotlighting Sung Kang's return to the franchise, the actor doesn't reveal much about the mechanics behind his character's reappearance, but teases that "everything ties back into the franchise’s theme of 'family.'” In the world of Fast and Furious those familial bonds extend beyond blood relations to include friendships. Perhaps it's no coincidence that Kang returns to the "family" for F9 (the film's official title), as the movie also boasts the return of Fast and Furious 6 director Justin Lin (Star Trek Beyond). Lin and Kang are long-time collaborators, having first worked together on the 2002 drama, Better Luck Tomorrow, also directed by Lin.
Now that they're reunited, Kang and Lin have been working together on the former's approach to the character after his time away. “We know who and what Han is,” Kang says. “And we’re older now. This Han is older. The things that we’ve learned as men in our personal lives, I hope it can transcend on-screen.” For Kang, the character's return is important to preserving Han's legacy. Although Statham's Shaw was firmly established as the man who killed Han, his character's villainous streak was short-lived. The most recent spin-off, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, recast the character as one of the franchise's heroes, a move that rubbed Kang the wrong way. “When Shaw came in and was revealed to be the killer and got invited into the family fold … that’s where you went, ‘Well, is this character being respected?’”
Han's reemergence in the trailer for Fast and Furious 9 indicates that Lin, and the film's writers, may have found a way to pay the character the respect he deserves. "I hope we do it justice," Kang added. Judging by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to his brief appearance in the trailer, it's clear that justice for Han is what the fans want too. Hopefully they get it when the film hits theaters May 20, 2020.
Source: LA Times
