A new “Initial D” movie is in the works, and it's being developed by Sung Kang, best known for playing the character Han Lue in the “Fast and Furious” franchise.
Original star of the series Paul Walker was an avid car fan, but the late actor wasn’t the only member of the Fast family to have a penchant for cars.
Kang also loves cars, particularly classic Porsches. He's also fond of the original Datsun 240Z, and in 2015 built his dream version for display at that year's SEMA show. Now he's combining that love with the art of filmmaking.
Kang revealed plans for the "Initial D" movie in an interview with South China Morning Post (via the Australian site Drive) published last month. He will direct the movie, which will be based on the original Shuichi Shigeno manga comic series about street racing and drifting. It will be his third time in the director's chair.
“It’s about cars and drifting and cool things like that,” Kang said. “A fun, big-budget movie that expresses my love affair for cars.” Kang also noted it will be an underdog movie along the lines of "The Karate Kid" and "Rocky."
The "Initial D" comic series was published between 1995 and 2013, and spawned many television shows, a handful of video games, and a 2005 movie designed for Japanese audiences. The series follows the adventures of a young man by the name of Takumi Fujiwara, who regularly drifts a modified 1980s-era Toyota Sprinter AE86 Trueno. Fujiwara honed his skills while making delivery runs for his father's sushi company.
A release date for Kang's "Initial D" movie hasn't been released.
