A Week In Movies: Star Wars Episode VII Shapes Up, Harrison Ford Joins Anchorman: The Legend Continues And Oz The Great And Powerful Hits Theatres

The movie casting rumour mill has gone into overdrive this week when Carrie Fisher seemed to confirm that she will indeed be back for Star Wars Episode VII. And then George Lucas chimed in to say that all three stars - Fisher, Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill - are on board to reprise their iconic characters 30 years after 1983's Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. Nothing is official yet, but we can probably expect a big announcement soon.

Meanwhile, Ford has joined the cast of the comedy sequel Anchorman: The Legend Continues, which is currently filming with Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd and Christina Applegate. And Halle Berry has officially rejoined the X-men for Days of Future Past, along with her original trilogy costars Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman and Anna Paquin, plus the cast of First Class.

This week's big movie release is Oz the Great and Powerful, a Disney blockbuster from the producer of the similarly designed Alice in Wonderland. With a powerhouse cast including James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz, the film is expected to break box office records worldwide.

And there have been several new trailers released this week. The most buzzed-about was a more detailed glimpse at Iron Man 3, revealing a political-thriller plot featuring Ben Kingsley as seriously nasty villain. The trailer makes it look like an epic conclusion to the trilogy, and that final shot has already caught the fans' attention. The film opens in the UK on April 26th and a week later in America.

Turning to more arthouse offerings, there's also a new trailer for the Irish comedy-drama Good Vibrations, the true story of 1970s music promoter Terri Hooley, played by Richard Dormer.The film follows Hooley's discovery of iconic counterculture musicians like The Undertones, whose Teenage Kicks took the world by storm. The film looks lively and colourful, and opens in the UK at the end of March.

From directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel (The Deep End), the drama What Maisie Knew is about a young girl (acclaimed newcomer Onata Aprile) watching her parents (Julianne Moore and Steve Coogan) go through a messy breakup. Based on the novel by Henry James, the film costars Alexander Skarsgaard (True Blood) and Joanna Vanderham (Dancing on the Edge). The trailer makes it look like a serious awards contender.

Another festival favourite, Stories We Tell is the new documentary by actress-filmmaker Sarah Polley (Take This Waltz) about the way people recount memories from their lives. Specifically, Polley is exploring the surprising truth about her own birth and childhood. It looks absolutely riveting and opens in the USA in May.

Rich Cline