Fast & Furious Star Vin Diesel On Han's Return And Heading To Space

The ninth Fast & Furious movie was one of the first films to be delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, and it still won't be with us until late May. We did however get to see the F9 trailer before the delay was announced, and it revealed that fan favorite character Han will be making his return to the series. Now star and producer Vin Diesel has spoken about Han's return and what fans can expect from the next movie.

Han, played by Sung Kang, was seemingly killed off in 2006's Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift and shown again in Fast & Furious 6--which takes place before Tokyo Drift--leading to a fan campaign termed "Justice for Han." But as last year's F9 trailer revealed, he's very much alive. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Diesel explained that the character is a vital part of the series.

"Han is an integral character in this franchise," he said. "If you remember, he's kind of responsible for the away years of [Diesel's character] 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."

Diesel was also asked about one of the big rumors about F9--namely whether or not the movie will end up in space. The joke is that outer space is one of the only places for the series to go; regular writer Chris Morgan has previously stated that he would not rule it out and co-star Michelle Rodriguez seemingly confirmed it last September. While Diesel does give anything away, he stated that director Justin Lin was the right man to send the Fast family into space. "I will say that Justin is one of those think outside of the box directors," he said. "I'd put nothing past him and he will thoroughly play with whatever is plausible to incorporate into the story." Fans might obviously question the "plausibility" of much of the series so far, but we get Vin's point.

F9 hits theaters on May 28. It also stars Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Nathalie Emmanuel, Helen Mirren, and Charlize Theron. The tenth movie has also got a release date--it's currently scheduled to arrive in April 2022 . In February last year, Diesel suggested that it could be a two-part movie.