'Fast & Furious 9' Spoilers: Vin Diesel Explains Sung Kang's Return, John Cena's Casting As Jakob

Vin Diesel shared more details about the casting of "Fast & Furious 9."

In January 2020, the official trailer for "F9" was released introducing John Cena as Jakob, Dominic Torreto's (Diesel) long-lost brother and the return of Sung Kang's character Han.

Han was introduced in the third movie "Tokyo Drift" as a wise mentor to Dominic, but he also died there. He returned in the sixth movie romancing Gal Gadot's Gisele. In the post-credit, it was revealed that he died in "Tokyo Drift" with Owen Shaw's (Luke Evans) brother, Deckard Shaw, (Jason Statham) causing the accident. Surprisingly, Kang is back from the dead in "F9" and Diesel explained his return.

"Han is an integral character in this franchise," Diesel told Entertainment Weekly. "If you remember, he's kind of responsible for the away years of 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. Without giving away the plot, that's the theme: don't give up on family."

In his previous interview, Kang was asked about his potential return to the franchise since it has a history of resurrecting dead characters. At the time, he felt that he already had a good send-off in his last appearance.

"I appreciate that," he said. "But I hope we don’t get to that point. I feel like it’s a proper send-off, don’t you? It’s time to close the book."

Han‘s fans should celebrate because it’s confirmed that he is back. Meanwhile, Diesel also approved of Cena’s casting in “Fast & Furious 9.” The latter will be playing a huge role in the upcoming film as his brother and nemesis.

"When I met John, he checked all the boxes," Diesel said when asked how the role went to Cena. "He had an energy that provoked a kind of curiosity about all of the Torettos. He just felt right. And he did a terrific job."

"Fast & Furious 9" will hit theaters on May 26, 2021.