Jason Statham Says ‘Fast & Furious’ Franchise ‘Better Bring Me Back’ After Han’s Return

Even though Jason Statham won’t make an appearance in Fast & Furious 9, we shouldn’t rule him out of the franchise moving forward.

“They better bring me back, because I need to put out that fire,” Statham told Entertainment Weekly when asked about what he thought of Han returning to the series. “If he’s got any score to settle, it’s with me.”

Han was seemingly killed in 2006’s Tokyo Drift, but Sung Kang’s character continued to appear in the subsequent films taking place before that entry. When the timeline had caught up to Tokyo Drift with Fast & Furious 6, it was revealed that Statham’s Deckard Shaw was behind the death of Han. When the first trailer for Fast 9 showed up last year, however, Han made a triumphant return to the series.

The action-packed franchise went through something of a split following the release of the Fate of the Furious in 2017, with both Statham and Dwayne Johnson forgoing the ninth entry in favor of their own spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw. Johnson’s absence could also be attributed to some behind-the-scenes drama between him and Vin Diesel.

But now, it seems that Statham is hinting that he’s eager to get back on board with the franchise, especially now that fan favorite character Han is making a return.

Director Justin Lin is planning for two final installments of the Fast and Furious series following F9, and Statham has indicated that he’s on board for whatever Lin has in store. “I’m game,” he said. “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.”