Han Lue would have turned out much differently in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift if director Justin Lin didn't fight for Sung Kang's character. The figure joined the third installment of the Fast & Furious franchise, which debuted in 2006. Han has since become one of the most beloved characters in the high octane film series. Despite his presumable death at the end of Fast & Furious 6, Kang will reprise his role for 2021's F9.
Tokyo Drift served as the second standalone sequel in The Fast Saga that has since been retconned to connect deeper to the broader story. When Han made his franchise introduction, he served as a mentor to Sean Boswell, the teen who gets involved with Tokyo's drifting scene after relocating from the US. Han also had ties to the Yakuza, which ultimately resulted in what was thought to be Han's death due to a crash from a high-speed car chase. In reality, Tokyo Drift was set between Fast & Furious 6 and Furious 7, meaning Han was able to appear in installments following 2006. He grew into one of Dom's most loyal crew members, and he certainly had skill behind the wheel.
Under the alias of Han Seoul-Oh, Kang's character never had a tendency to shy away from danger. Though he willingly joined dangerous heists, Han had a habit of putting his own life at risk for others. It was always the idea to have Han serve as the big brother type to the younger racers in Tokyo Drift. That said, the original conception for the figure was meant to be entirely different. According to a 2013 interview with Kang with Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline), Han was featured in the script as an African-American man named "Phoenix." He explained that Bow Wow was then cast to play Twinkie, giving Lin the idea to make a change. The director wanted a brooding, yet likable, Asian-American character who the others looked up. Universal Pictures wasn't keen on the idea so it took some convincing.
Better Luck Tomorrow Changed Universal Studios' Opinion On Han
In order to change the minds of executives at Universal, Lin showed them Better Luck Tomorrow. The 2002 movie was directed by Lin and starred Kang as one of the young overachievers in focus that experimented with petty crimes after being bored with everyday life. The move worked, and Lin was allowed to transport the Han from his previous crime-drama and expand the character's background in Fast & Furious. Better Luck Tomorrow then served as Han's origin story before making him into one of the most popular faces in the long-running series.
To date, Kang has appeared in four films within the Fast & Furious franchise, not including the Los Bandoleros short film, Furious 7 archival footage, and the forthcoming F9. Though it's still unclear how Han comes back from the dead, it's fitting that Lin is in the director's chair for his next chapter. If anyone could continue Han's arc, it's the man who fought convinced the studio to allow his inclusion into Tokyo Drift. If not, there may have just been a side character name Phoenix who never received the chance to become a fan-favorite.
