A Week In Movies: Neeson is Taken again, Statham goes dramatic, Depp cuts his hair

The big news this week is that a reported $20 million paycheque has lured Liam Neeson back for a third Taken movie. There's no word yet on the plot, but does it really matter? Meanwhile, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman will be back for Roland Emmerich's long-awaited sequel to his 1996 blockbuster Independence Day, although apparently Will Smith's character isn't in the script.

This week's top cinema releases include the animated sequel Despicable Me 2 and Jason Statham's dramatic thriller Hummingbird. which has been re-titled Redemption for its American release. Meanwhile, British audiences are catching up with Seth Rogen's A-list apocalyptic comedy This Is the End, while Americans have a chance to check out Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan as rogue mother-daughter vampires in Byzantium.

Johnny Depp has been out and about promoting his upcoming blockbuster The Lone Ranger. On Monday, he sported a new clean-cut look joining Tom Cruise on Hollywood Boulevard to honour mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer with a star on the Walk of Fame. Two days later, Depp turned up in New York for David Letterman's show, posing for photos before entering the studio. He also took time to shake hands with the notorious Radioman.

There's a new trailer this week for Only God Forgives, which reunites Ryan Gosling with Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn for a grim-looking Bangkok-set thriller. The film had a mixed reaction at Cannes, but everyone praised Kristin Scott Thomas' against-type performance as Gosling's mother. We get to make up our own minds next month.

Speaking of against-type roles, Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch venture into new territory for David Gordon Green's award-winning comedy Prince Avalanche, as two guys who bond during a summer painting lines on a rural highway. A new trailer promises something smart, silly and engaging. The film opens in August.

DreamWorks animation has released two special clips from their new action-comedy Turbo, ahead of its release in America next month (British audiences must wait until October). From the makers of Monsters vs Aliens and Shrek Forever After, it's about a garden snail who dreams of competing at the Indy 500 car race. The voice cast includes Ryan Reynolds, Michelle Rodriguez, Samuel L Jackson, Snoop Dogg and the ubiquitous Ken Jeong.

And finally, we had our first look at Ridley Scott's new thriller , which features an impressive all-star line-up including Brad Pitt, Michael Fassbender, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem. The teaser doesn't give much away, but it looks slick, dark and edgy. It opens in the autumn.

Rich Cline