Is justice for Han Lue (Sung Kang) finally coming in Fast & Furious 9? Fans have been pushing for justice ever since it was revealed that Jason Statham's Deckard Shaw was the one responsible for the fiery car crash that killed Han. Now Shaw is treated like part of the Fast "family," getting team-up time with Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) in The Fate of the Furious and then even his own spinoff in Hobbs & Shaw.
Han fans felt the Fast "family" was betraying him. But now that Fast 9 is winding down filming, and director Justin Lin was spotted wearing a #JusticeForHan shirt, maybe that's a hint for what's ahead? You can see the shirt in Vin Diesel's latest Fast & Furious 9 video, which was also a happy birthday post for Justin Lin:
I'm excited to see how Fast & Furious 9 will blow fans' minds, per Vin Diesel. And with the director's shirt slogan, I have to wonder if fans will finally get what they've been waiting for. Justin Lin is returning to the Fast franchise for #9, with his previous film being Fast & Furious 6 -- the movie that revealed, in the end, that Deckard Shaw was the one to kill Han. Could it be that Lin is back to complete the Han story he walked away from?
Since then, fans have only gotten lip service on Justice for Han. There was a throwaway line in Hobbs & Shaw where Shaw said, "There’s things I’ve done that I have to make amends for." Screenwriter Chris Morgan told the L.A. Times, "That is specifically referring to Han." But it wasn't really enough for many fans. Morgan seemed to hint, in that interview, that more was on the way. He shared a message for Han's fans:
You’re right to feel it. It’s part of the story that we’re working to. It’s such a big, giant part of his character, we wanted to be able to handle it gracefully and really give it the due that it needs — which we are moving towards.
Chris Morgan even addressed -- albeit with a laugh -- the idea of both Han and Gisele (Gal Gadot) returning for Fast 9:
Listen, I have lots of hopes for lots of things in this universe. We’ve discussed lots of variations of stories.
Give us some flashbacks! One thing I'm worried about is what the Fast franchise might tell us about Han to justify what Shaw did -- although from Shaw's perspective, he was just getting justice for his own family. Not too long ago, Fast screenwriter Chris Morgan had this response on the #JusticeForHan movement:
Justice for Han. I think you'll learn a lot more about it, and I don't know if that hashtag will be the appropriate one to put on it down the road. But I can tell you this: We will definitely be talking more about Han.
Chris Morgan has been working with director Justin Lin in the Fast franchise since they teamed up for 2006's The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, the movie that killed off Han. They both returned for 2009's Fast & Furious, 2011's Fast Five, and 2013's Fast & Furious 6, which revealed that Deckard Shaw was the one to kill Han.
Justin Lin then stepped away from the franchise, but Chris Morgan stayed as screenwriter for James Wan's Furious 7 and F. Gary Gray's The Fate of the Furious. Now Justin Lin is back for Fast & Furious 9. His T-shirt is giving fans hope, so let's hope it's not misplaced.
The Fast franchise is a family -- and that family now includes John Cena, after he passed the respect test. Fast 9 is bringing back Jordana Brewster's Mia Toretto in a cool way. Brewster skipped the previous movie, and since Paul Walker's brother Cody was seen in the Fast 9 set, there's been speculation that the character of Brian might reappear in some fashion, since he is still alive and raising kids with Mia in the Fast universe.
Fast & Furious 9 is scheduled for release on May 22, 2020, and it will be followed by Fast & Furious 10. Dwayne Johnson is now expected to return to the franchise, it's just not clear yet whether it will be for a Fast 9 cameo or later for Fast 10.
