Harrison Ford has dropped the strongest hint of all the past Star Wars actors that they’ll be returning to take part in the new Disney trilogy, that has been planned since it's massive $4 billion plus takeover of the George Lucas sci-fi empire.

Recently Carrie Fisher claimed in an interview that she would be getting back involved as Princess Leia for the film, only for a rep for the star to subsequently claim that she was joking and that no such deal was taking place. Similarly Mark Hamill, who of course played Luke Skywalker, has admitted he’d be interested in getting to Star Wars, though has always stopped short of claiming that it’s actually happening. However, now Ford has come forward to give the strongest indicator yet that the gang will be back.

Talking to WGN News on the red carpet at the premiere of his new film 42, the biopic of baseball player Jackie Robinson, Ford answered a question about the original stars returning with "I think it's almost true. I'm looking forward to it … it's not in the bag yet, but I think it's happening." If true, it shows that the film is starting to fall into place after months of speculation and an initial difficulty in even getting a director attached, given the gravitas that comes with helming such a lofty franchise. Ultimately J.J Abrams has landed the role, and with the old Star Wars guard starting to slot into place, it looks like the follow-ups are set to be some of the most ambitious yet.

Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford is the latest original Star Wars actor to indicate his interest in the new films