Fast & Furious 7 isn't due for release until July 2014, but fans are eagerly awaiting the next film.

Jason Statham recently spoke about joining the action franchise in a recent interview with Coming Soon, admitting he was surprised by the outpouring of support from fans excited to see him in the film.

"It's fantastic," he said about the fans' apporval. "That's the best news I've ever heard. It's fantastic to hear that."

Statham will play Ian Shaw, who wants revenge on Dominic Torreto and his crew after they took down his bother, Owen Shaw.

Statham also discussed joining the Fast & Furious franchise with Empire and said that he was actually reluctant to play a villain.

"I didn't really want to play the villain, but there are certain moments where you think it might be a good time to do that," the British actor explained.

He continued: "I'm not saying I'm the full-blooded... I'm not going to tell you too much about what I'm going to do in the film, but if it's a good villain, there's obviously some consideration to be made.

"There are some really bad villains out there, and I don't want to get myself wet with that s**t."

He'll be joining the Fast & Furious 7 cast, which currently includes Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez.

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Fast and Furious 7