This weekend, two high-profile stars will share the limelight in Hobbs & Shaw. Pairing up Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in an action-comedy is as clever of an idea as they come. However, there is one lingering issue. Fans still want “Justice for Han” in the Fast & Furious franchise, and giving his murderer, Statham’s Deckard Shaw, more of the big-screen glory isn’t doing the job.
Fan-favorite Han Lue first appeared in 2006’s The Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift where he was killed off too soon. As a result, that the writers decided to continue the franchise in a timeline that predated the death of Sung Kang’s character so he could return for 2009’s Fast And Furious, Fast Five and then 6. At the end of the sixth film, time finally caught up with Han when it was revealed Jason Statham’s Shaw was behind his death.
But since Jason Statham joined the franchise, he’s become part of the Fast family - kicking back beers between missions with the friends of the man he killed. There’s hardly been a mention of Han’s name. Hobbs & Shaw writer Chris Morgan assures fans that the film series is going to back to this plot point. In his words to EW:
I love ‘justice for Han.’ Sung Kang is a great friend, and Han is a character that I adore. I would say that the super-arc for Deckard Shaw is going to be one of the most interesting, cool, rewarding character arcs in the franchise. Justice for Han is owed. It’s something we have discussed for a very long time and want to give the right due to. I think the audience will be satisfied and should know it’s coming. There’s a line in Hobbs & Shaw that is right before the battle in Samoa where Shaw says to his sister, ‘There’s things I’ve done that I have to make amends for.’ That line was specifically written and put in there just to let everyone know that he is talking about Han — it is on his mind. It tortures him, and he’s going to get to it.
It looks like Justice for Han is coming! Chris Morgan explains how a specific line was written with Han’s story arc in mind. Shaw is feeling remorseful for Han’s death and is going to make amends for it somehow. What this means exactly is yet to be seen.
It was previously confirmed that Sung Kang’s Han will either be coming back or be heavily addressed in Fast & Furious’ upcoming ninth and tenth installments. But, assuming he appears, will the actor come back in flashback sequences or he is somehow alive? What if he survived the car crash and has been among the shadows watching his “family” accept his murderer and will be the big villain to conclude the series? Or will the franchise simply finally acknowledge Shaw and his death to the rest of the team?
Fast & the Furious 9 is currently filming in London ahead of its May 22, 2020 release date. The film will include Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Nathalie Emmanuel, Charlize Theron and Helen Mirren reprising their roles, along with new characters played by John Cena, Anna Sawai and Finn Cole.
Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham will be skipping out on the ninth film, but it's a good bet they'll return for #10, hitting theaters on April 2, 2021. You can check out the unlikely duo in Hobbs & Shaw on August 2.
