'Fast & Furious' Actor Sung Kang To Direct New 'Initial D' Film

Actor Sung Kang, best known for playing the iconic Han Lue character in Fast & Furious is set to direct the new Initial D based on the Japanese comic of the same name.

In a recent interview with SCMP, Kang talked about the discrimination in Hollywood leaving him unfulfilled and wanting to "get behind the camera." He said, "It was time to get behind the camera and start creating. As a director, I can give opportunities to people who face the same struggles I face in Hollywood. It's about paying forward and passing on knowledge."

When he started out in the industry, Kang faced his fair share of discrimination. He often tried to avoid stereotypes like "guy with machete" or "guy with kung fu." With Initial D, Kang is slated to give his own spin to the original story which follow a high school student who learns the skill of drifting by delivering tofu in his father's Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno, later leading to the prominence of illegal street racing. Kang said, "It's about cars and drifting and cool things like that. Almost a Rocky or Karate Kid. A fun, big-budget movie that expresses my love affair for cars." Kang's love of cars were rekindled with Tokyo Drift, which led him to restore a 1973 Datsun 240Z.

Initial D will be Kang's third project as director.

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