Fans of the Fast & Furious franchise have been calling for the films to deliver justice for the character Han for several years. After Han was killed, his murderer was made one of the main characters of the series, frustrating fans at his apparent dismissal. Folks began campaigning for the franchise to do the right thing with the hashtag #JusticeForHan, and that justice is being served in the upcoming F9 film. Sung Kang‘s Han is back, and he recently talked to Empire about how the fan campaign unfolded.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, this whole Fast & Furious journey,” Kang said. “How do you get killed off multiple times and keep coming back? Like, come on. This is crazy.”
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“The whole #JusticeForHan thing – it made me think, ‘Wow, there are actually people that appreciate the work I did as an actor’,” Kang added. “In my own Hollywood struggle as an Asian-American, in your darkest hours, you go, ‘Wow, there are actually people from all over the world that appreciate what I did with that character.’”
Fans weren’t quite expecting to see Han return in F9, despite all of the campaigning for his comeback. That said, those involved in the films had a hard time envisioning the future without him.
“Han is an integral character in this franchise,” star and producer Vin Diesel told EW of Han’s surprise return. “If you remember, he’s kind of responsible for the away years of Dom Toretto. He’s the one doing jobs with him in Mexico, he’s the only one who knows where Dom is, and in many ways is the bridge for Dom when Dom comes back in Tokyo Drift. So there’s something very special and magical about the Han character. When you see the movie you’ll feel it, but I believe at the core it’s another testament to, not only don’t turn your back on family, but don’t give up on family. Without giving away the plot, that’s the theme: don’t give up on family.”
Are you glad to see Han back in the Fast Saga? Let us know in the comments!
F9 is set to hit theaters on June 25th.
