J.J. Abrams is officially on board to direct Star Wars: Episode VII, the first entry in a new trilogy.  As Abrams gets the mothership in order, you better believe Disney is working on the fringes to realize the full potential of their recently acquired franchise.  In particular, Lawrence Kasdan and Simon Kinberg are reportedly developing scripts that “could form the basis for spinoffs focusing on side characters.”  One possibility that surfaced is Zack Snyder‘s version of Seven Samurai in the Star Wars universe.  Since Snyder’s reps quickly shot that down, it’s time to move on to the next rumor which involves Yoda.

Last night I uncovered a gem from 2011 for the first time and my only regret is that I didn’t take the time to seek it out sooner. Writer/director Thomas McCarthy‘s dramedy Win Win is not only consistently funny but also chock full of both heartwarming and heartbreaking moments. The performances are terrific all-around, the script is strong albeit somewhat easy to telegraph, and the wrestling scenes are even surprisingly intense at times (I mean, it was nominated for a prestigious ESPY for “Best Sports Film” after all). Matt gave the film his full endorsement when he reviewed it at Sundance 2011 and I’m doing the same here today.

Movie recommendations aside, in what was yet another busy week around these parts, the five standouts include our Skyfall interviews with Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, director Sam Mendes and more, a Beautiful Creatures set visit recap, the first trailer for Brad Pitt‘s World War Z, even more set visit goodness from Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s The Last Stand, and ongoing development news for the next Star Wars trilogy. Keep reading for brief recaps and links to all of the above.

Disney and Lucasfilm have just confirmed reports that screenwriter Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3) will write the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode VII.  We previously reported that Arndt was said to have already prepared a 40-50 page draft of at least the first new Star Wars installment and perhaps the entire sequel trilogy.  This was well in advance of the announcement of Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars for more than $4 billion.  To see what Disney/Lucasfilm had to say, hit the jump.

After yesterday’s bombshell that Disney would be purchasing Lucasfilm and the rights to Star Wars, speculation quickly began for cast, crew and plot of the newly planned sequel trilogy.  George Lucas has already sketched out an outline for Star Wars VII; he and Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy have reportedly met with writers already.  Now, Lucas biographer Dale Pollock is spilling some details about the upcoming trilogy (or trilogies, since Lucas’ original idea spanned 12 films!).  Among those is the fact that Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill in the original films, would be in his 30s or 40s.  Hit the jump to see what else is in store.