F9 is doubling as a reunion for notable The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift cast members based on the returning characters set to appear. The ninth installment of The Fast Saga is finally scheduled to debut in June after multiple delays due to the coronavirus pandemic. Based on the confirmed details, the new movie from Justin Lin looks to be worth the wait, especially the extra dose of returning figures.
Following the conflict churned up at the hands of Cipher (Charlize Theron) in The Fate of the Furious, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has been able to find peace raising his young son with his wife, Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez). The situation becomes short-lived when Cipher returns with a vengeance in the form of Dom’s younger brother, Jakob Toretto (John Cena). Going up against his disgruntled sibling is no easy task, requiring Dom to gather up the crew, including Han Lue (Sung Kang), who was thought to be dead.
Though The Fast Saga is now on a linear timeline, the events of Tokyo Drift are still fresh in the minds of the characters. The third installment came out in 2006, but it now takes place after Fast & Furious 6. The retcon in the timeline allowed to expand on Han’s story arc, and the franchise has done so yet again by incorporating him into F9. Here’s what other familiar faces will be joining him.
Sung Kang As Han Lue
As mentioned above, F9 will be highlighted by the return of Sung Kang in his fan-favorite role as Han Lue. Also known under the alias of Han Seoul-Oh, Kang’s character was last seen in Fast & Furious 6, which linked up to the ending of Tokyo Drift. As far as everyone knew, including the audience, Han was killed by Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) following the explosive car wreck in Tokyo. It turns out Han has been alive all this time, and he’s ready to come out of hiding to assist Dom and the crew in the fight against Cipher and Jakob. Granted, he will have a few more Tokyo Drift allies on his side to coincide with his grand return.
Lucas Black As Sean Boswell
Though Lucas Black’s only starring role came in Tokyo Drift, he reprised his role of Sean Boswell for Furious 7. To extend the 2006 end scene featuring Diesel, Furious 7 showcased the moment which saw Dom travel to Tokyo following Han’s presumed death. Sean chatted with Dom about their mutual friend before giving the visitor his silver cross, which was left at the car crash. Black wasn’t in The Fate of the Furious, but it seems Han enlists his help for a special mission in F9, particularly with the development of the rocket car.
Jason Tobin As Earl Hu
Han and Sean will be joined by fellow Tokyo Drift crew member, Earl Hu, played by Jason Tobin. The actor hasn’t appeared in a Fast & Furious installment since his 2006 debut. Earl was a tech expert who modified and tuned cars before assisting in building the car that Sean used to beat Takashi (Brian Tee). The character can be seen working behind a computer in F9‘s rocket car sequence, indicating he’s heavily involved in the modified Pontiac Fiero’s construction.
Bow Wow As Twinkie
Last but not least, Bow Wow (aka Shad Moss) is set to reprise his The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift role as Twinkie. Like Tobin, Bow Wow hasn’t appeared in any Fast & Furious movies since the third entry aside from Furious 7 archive footage. Despite not appearing in the first F9 trailer, Twinkie shows up alongside the rest of the crew in the second full-length trailer. The skilled mechanic and close friend of Han, Sean, and Earl seemingly accepts the chance to partake in the high stakes mission involving Dom. In turn, he and the others are brought in as the newest members of Dom’s family.
Key Release Dates
- F9/Fast & Furious 9 (2021)Release date: Jun 25, 2021
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