Fast & Furious 7 won't race into theaters until July 2014, but actor Jason Statham is dishing some new details about the upcoming film.

He recently spoke about joining the action franchise in a recent interview, 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 and Furious 7 cast, which currently includes Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Michelle Rodriguez.

Actress Jordana Brewster, who starred in Fast and Furious 6, will be back for more in the upcoming film.

Although she hasn't seen the script yet, the actress is "really excited" and knows it'll be another "fun ride" for fans.

"I'm excited to be reuniting with all the boys," she gushed to EnStars in June. "We're like family. It's lovely."

In the Fast and Furious franchise, Brewster's Mia Torreto started as the girl-next-door love interest for Paul Walker's Brian, but over the course of six films has grown to become just as bad ass as the boys. In Fast and Furious 6, Mia returned as a wife and mother willing to do anything to protect her family.

The seventh film is set to begin filming in September. Big names being linked to the film are Halle Berry, Taylor Lautner and Rihanna.

Brewster said any of those stars would be "a welcome addition" to the cast.