Sung Kang’s Han Lue is unique within the Fast & Furious franchise, as he’s the only character who didn’t originate in the series itself. As fans may know, both the actor and director Justin Lin have confirmed that Han is actually the same person who first turned up in the duo’s 2002 crime flick Better Luck Tomorrow.
Over the years, though, the character’s become a key part of the franchise, and after Jason Statham’s Deckard Shaw was revealed to be behind his murder and then welcomed into the gang with open arms, the #JusticeForHan movement sprung up, leading to his return from beyond the grave in the upcoming Fast & Furious 9.
How they’ll explain that remains to be seen, and we don’t really expect it to make much sense considering the plot logic used in the franchise thus far, but we’re happy to have him back regardless. And if Han’s returning, you can bet that Shaw won’t be far behind. In fact, Statham recently spoke to Entertainment Weekly and said that they “better bring him back,” telling the outlet:
“They better bring me back, because I need to put out that fire. If he’s got any score to settle, it’s with me.”
So, he certainly seems game for a return, and further in his conversation with EW, he said he’d love to reunite with the Fast & Furious crew once more.
“I’m game. I love Justin Lin, he’s a great director. It’s a shame because when I joined the franchise all those years back, he went on to do something else and all I did with Justin was a little tag at the end. I need to do a movie with him. And I’d love to see all the Fast crew, Vin [Diesel] and everybody, they’re all great people. I have a lot of affection for them.”
Luckily for the actor, and the fans, it seems like Universal definitely has more plans for Jason Statham’s Shaw, with recent spinoff Hobbs & Shaw proving to be hugely successful and a sequel already in the works. It’s likely he’ll end up in the mainline series again as well, though we’ll just have to wait and see what the studio has planned for him. With any luck, we’ll get some hints in Fast & Furious 9, which hits theaters on June 25th.