Vin Diesel reflects on making the Fast & Furious prequel short film Los Bandoleros with Sung Kang. Kang first joined the Fast & Furious franchise in 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift as Han Lue. Han would go on to appear in the next four installments in the franchise, including the Los Bandoleros short. Though he'd been presumed dead, Kang's character recently returned for F9 and is also set to appear in Fast X once it releases in 2023.
Los Bandoleros, directed by Diesel in 2009, details the events before 2009's Fast & Furious, in which Diesel's character, Dominic Toretto, attempts to steal oil from a tanker in the Dominican Republic. The short film stars Diesel and Kang along with Michelle Rodriquez, Tego Calderon, and Don Omar. The 20-minute film doesn't include much action, however, it does follow some tropes of the Fast & Furious franchise, such as Han and Toretto enjoying a family meal together. In keeping with the theme of family, it appears Diesel just came across a nostalgic image from the past.
Diesel recently shared an image on Instagram and reflected on making Los Bandoleros with Kang. The image shows Kang standing next to Fast & Furious producer Samantha Vincent on the set of either F9 or Fast X. In the post, Diesel reveals that the image makes him nostalgic because it was Vincent that invited Kang to appear in Los Bandoleros. While there was "no money for any of [the] actors," Vincent called Kang asking if he would reprise his role. Kang accepted the offer and flew out to the Dominican Republic to shoot his scenes. View Diesel's Instagram post of Vincent and Kang below:
Click here to see the original post
In his reflection on Los Bandoleros, Diesel mentions that Kang was "inspired to continue as an actor" after he watched a different short film Diesel created called Multi-Facial. This 1995 short drama stars Diesel as a multiracial actor and depicts the emotional and professional troubles he must face. That short film would later be noticed by Steven Spielberg, who would then cast Diesel in Saving Private Ryan (1998). It appears the film also inspired Kang, who would land his first major film role in 2001's Pearl Harbor. Since then, Kang's character has become an integral part of the Fast & Furious franchise.
Kang is set to return as Han in both Fast X (2023) and Fast & Furious 10: Part 2 (2024), which collectively will serve as the franchise's finale. Although Han didn't appear in the series until the third film, he's become a beloved character that deserves to help conclude the franchise once and for all. As Diesel notes, Kang's enthusiasm to appear in the series, even in short films like Los Bandoleros, proves his loyalty to the Fast & Furious family.
Source: Vin Diesel/Instagram
