The Fast and Furious franchise has totally evolved into an action franchise. The fast cars are now just an accessory, all the more in the next sequel as the central theme is revenge, and the villain is played by no less than Jason Statham.

The franchise has gone a long way. What started as a modest street gang story that centered around evading neighborhood cops and an undercover FBI Agent (played by Paul Walker) has turned into near superhero territory where they prevent global catastrophes.

As the scale of the plot increased in significance, so did the prestige of the series. It can be recalled that the Fast and Furious series almost folded. In the sequel '2Fast 2Furious' they made a wrong decision not to cast Vin Diesel. Let's face it, Paul Walker is not really someone you'd rush into the theater to see. The next sequel, 'Tokyo Drift' was more of a spin-off than a sequel, and a Vin Diesel cameo was actually the best part of that film.

When it almost devolved into direct to DVD films, the franchise got a boost when Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto returned, along with most of the original cast. They started their international gigs in 'Fast Five,' and introduced Dwayne Johnson into the franchise for good measure.

There's no turning back for the Toretto and his gang, as their new adversary portrayed by Jason Statham was revealed to be Ian Shaw, brother of the mastermind villain in 'Fast and Furious 6' Owen Shaw, played by Luke Evans. While Owen Shaw was an ex-SAS agent, credentials of Ian Shaw is yet unrevealed, but we can trust that Statham is not gonna play a patsy.

A full blown battle of bruising baldies will ensue in 'Fast and Furious 7' with Statham chasing down Diesel's crew. We can't wait!