Vin Diesel comments on his collaboration with Sung Kang in the Fast & Furious prequel short film Los Bandoleros. As Han Lue, Kang debuted in the Fast & Furious series in 2006’s The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Han would appear in the subsequent four sequels of the series, as well as the Los Banderos short. Kang’s character has just returned for F9 and is also scheduled to feature in Fast X when it is released in 2023.
Los Bandoleros, directed by Vin Diesel in 2009, depicts Dominic Toretto’s attempt to steal oil from a tanker in the Dominican Republic prior to the events of 2009’s Fast & Furious. The cast of the short film includes Diesel, Kang, Michelle Rodriquez, Tego Calderon, and Don Omar.
The 20-minute video has little action, but it does adhere to several Fast & Furious movie clichés, such as Han and Toretto sharing a family supper. In line with the idea of family, it seems Diesel has just discovered an old photograph.
Diesel just posted a photo on Instagram and commented on working with Kang on Los Bandoleros. On the set of either F9 or Fast X, Kang is seen standing close to Fast & Furious producer Samantha Vincent.
Diesel adds in the post that the photograph makes him sentimental since Vincent asked Kang to perform in Los Bandoleros. While there was “no money for any of the performers,” Vincent asked Kang to repeat his part despite the fact that there was “no money for any of the actors.” Kang accepted the offer and then travelled to the Dominican Republic to film his sequences. See below for Diesel’s Instagram photo of Vincent and Kang.
Diesel notes in his perspective on Los Bandoleros that Kang was “motivated to continue as an actor” after seeing Multi-Facial, a separate short film Diesel directed. This 1995 short drama features Diesel as a biracial actor experiencing personal and professional difficulties. Steven Spielberg would eventually discover this short film and cast Vin Diesel in Saving Private Ryan (1998).
It seems that the picture also influenced Kang, who landed his first significant cinematic role in Pearl Harbor (2001). Since then, Kang’s character has become a fundamental component of the Fast & Furious series.
Kang will reprise his role as Han in both Fast X (2023) and Fast & Furious 10: Part 2 (2024), which will together serve as the series’ conclusion. Han Solo didn’t debut in the series until the third instalment, but he’s become such a popular figure that he deserves to help bring the trilogy to a close. According to Diesel, Kang’s eagerness to feature in the series, even in short flicks such as Los Bandoleros, demonstrates his dedication to the Fast & Furious family.