Best Stories Of The Week: Spectre, Ant-Man, Minecraft, Jurassic World 2 And More

There are only a couple weeks left in the blockbuster season, but there are still plenty of big stories to be excited about coming soon. This edition of the Best Stories of the Week includes updates on Minecraft, a sequel to Jurassic World, easter eggs from Ant-Man an uncertain future for the Terminator franchise and confirmation of a Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover in the works.

Below you'll also find new trailers for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, the latest James Bond adventure Spectre and the full trailer for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Check out all this and the rest of the Best Stories of the Week after the jump!

#36. Ridley Scott May Direct Adaptation of Don Winslow's The Cartel

El Chapo Movie

After delivering a box-office misfire in The Counselor, director Ridley Scott may return to the world of drug trafficking with The Cartel, an adaptation of Don Winslow's novel of the same name, which will be scripted by Savages writer Shane Salerno. Find out what the story is about right here.

#35. Patrick Wilson is Addicted to Sex in Trailer for Zipper

The thriller arrives on August 28th.

#34. Angelina Jolie to Direct First They Killed My Father for Netflix

Angelina Jolie directing Unbroken

Actress-turned-director Angelina Jolie has wasted no time in lining up her next job behind the camera. The Oscar winner will be at the helm of an adaptation of First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers for Netflix. Find out what the story is about in our original report.

#33. Sony Animation Picks Up a Pitch for an Emoji Movie

Emoji movie

Further proving that Hollywood has run out of ideas, Sony Animation has picked up a pitch for a big screen movie that focuses on the little images known as Emoji. Yes, the cartoon faces, people and food you text to your significant other are getting their own movie. Find out more right here.

#32. Ryan Reynolds & Ben Mendelsohn Roll the Dice in Mississippi Grind

The indie arrives on September 24th.

#31. Disney Developing Live-Action Sword in the Stone Remake

Sword in the Stone

Adding to their growing pile of live-action adaptations of their animated classics, Disney is developing a remake of The Sword in the Stone, one of the few classic properties they hadn't touched. Read more about the project right here.

#30. A New Hero Emerges in the Trailer for Turbo Kid

The indie arrives in theaters and on VOD on August 28th.

#29. Brie Larson Circles Kong: Skull Island, Russell Crowe May Join Too

Brie Larson in The Gambler

After losing Michael Keaton and J.K. Simmons, the action adventure prequel Kong: Skull Island has found some new cast members with Brie Larson coming aboard, and Russell Crowe circling the film from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Get the full story in our original report.

#28. The Action is High in New Trailer for American Ultra

The stoner action comedy arrives on August 21st.

Baywatch

#27. Seth Gordon to Direct Dwayne Johnson in the Baywatch Movie

Horrible Bosses director Seth Gordon has jumped on board the gestating big screen comedy adaptation of Baywatch that will star Dwayne Johnson in the role he was born to play. Find out more about the project in our original story.

#26. Watch the 10-Minute Short That Landed The Muppets a New Show

The Muppets premieres on ABC on September 22nd.

#25. Don Rickles Returning as Mr. Potato Head for Toy Story 4

Don Rickles Toy Story 4

Legendary comedian Don Rickles has confirmed that he will be back to voice Mr. Potato Head in Pixar's developing Toy Story 4. He'll begin working on the film in September, but we won't see it until 2017. Find out more right here.

#24. Michael Chiklis Joins Second Season of Gotham, New Teaser Surfaces

Michael Chiklis in American Horror Story Freak Show

Former Fantastic Four franchise star Michael Chiklis is heading from Marvel to DC by taking a role in the second season of the Fox TV series Gotham. Get more on the casting news right here, and check out the first teaser for the new season over here.

#23. Michael Jackson Almost Played Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace

Michael Jackson - Jar Jar Binks

The King of Pop wanted to play the new character in Star Wars: Episode I, but he would have done so in full prosthetic make-up. Find out more about this strange piece of trivia in our original story.

#22. Second Season of Fargo Delivers a Full Trailer and New Teasers

Fargo returns in October. (See more teasers here.)

#21. Remake of Logan's Run is Back in the Works with Simon Kinberg

Logan's Run reboot

He's been busy producing one of the forthcoming Star Wars Anthology movies as well as the X-Men and Fantastic Four franchises, and now Simon Kinberg is going to add another project onto his pile with the remake of Logan's Run now in his hands. Find out more right here.

#20. LeBron James Strikes a New Deal with Warner Bros., Maybe for Space Jam 2

Space Jam - LeBron James

Whether you think he's just as good as Michael Jordan or not, there's been plenty of basketball fans clamoring for LeBron James to do a sequel to Space Jam, and a new deal with Warner Bros. might make it possible. Find out more in our original story.

Star Trek Beyond charity video

#19. Star Trek Beyond Video Shows Aliens as The Raid Star Joins Cast

A new video from the set of Star Trek Beyond has surfaced online with a look at one of the aliens from the sci-fi sequel as well as some of the props. In addition, The Raid star Joe Taslim has joined the cast in a role opposite Idris Elba, which makes us think he'll be a bad guy to be reckoned with. Check out the full story here.

#18. Second Trailer for The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials Arrives

The sequel hits theaters on September 18th.

#17. New Teaser for The X-Files Arrives, New Guest Stars Confirmed

new X-Files footage

Another short and sweet teaser for the return of The X-Files has been revealed, and you can watch it over here. In addition, several new guest stars have been revealed included Robbie Amell and Lauren Ambrose as new FBI agents, Kumail Nanjiani as an animal control officer and the return of The Lone Gunmen. Click each of the respective links for more details.

#16. Chris Columbus Wants to Direct Another Harry Potter Sequel

Harry Potter sequel

After adapting the first two books in the fantasy franchise for the big screen, director Chris Columbus wants to return to Harry Potter with a sequel that focuses what happened during the 19-year gap between the end of The Deathly Hallows and the epilogue. Find out more in our original post.

#15. BBC Names 100 Greatest American Films Ever Made

100 Greatest American FilmsBBC conducted a poll featuring a bunch of international film critics from around the globe to figure out what the 100 Greatest American Movies ever made were. Star Wars, Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Godfather made the list as expected, but there are some surprising exclusions and inclusions. Check out the full list right here.

#14. Explore the Visual Style of J.J. Abrams and How It Could Affect Star Wars

JJ Abrams and Ken Leung in Star Wars: The Force Awakens

A new video essay looks at the visual style of J.J. Abrams based on his previous work and what we've seen from Star Wars: The Force Awakens so far, and predicts what we can expect about how these two will merge in the final product. Watch the video right here.

#13. New Trailer for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 Finishes the Fight

The franchise concludes on November 20th.

#12. Pacific Rim 2 Begins Shooting in November, Rumored Title Surfaces

Pacific Rim 2 shoot date

Director Guillermo del Toro is planning on shooting Pacific Rim 2 starting in November, after Crimson Peak hits theaters. In addition, the title has been revealed, but if you want to find out what it is, you'll have to check out our original story.

#11. Here's Seven Movies That Could Break the Video Game Movie Curse

Video game movies coming soonVideo game movies have a bad reputation, but there are a handful of them on the horizon that might break the trend. Find out which video game have some promise on the big screen in our full story over here.minecraft-wallpaper

#10. The Minecraft Movie Gets a Surprising Director

Speaking of video games, the Minecraft movie just landed a new director in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and star Rob McElhenney. Find out more about the project in our full report.

#9. After Terminator: Genisys Underperforms, Franchise Future is Uncertain

history of the Terminator franchiseTerminator: Genisys wasn't the hit that Paramount Pictures hoped it would be, and that means the future of the Terminator franchise, which was meant to include at least two more sequels, is now in limbo. Find out more right here.

#8. Who May Be Playing Robin in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice?

Robin in Batman v Superman

A new rumor has surfaced about who will be playing Robin in a flashback sequence in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. It's a somewhat odd choice, but it also makes sense. To find out who might be playing Robin, read the original story here.

#7. Benicio Del Toro Offered Villain Role in Star Wars: Episode VIII

Benicio Del Toro as Pablo Escobar in Paradise Lost

The sequel isn't due until 2017, but an offer is already out to Benicio del Toro for a villain role in Star Wars: Episode VIII. Get all the facts on this new development right here.

#6. We Rank All the Movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Marvel cinematic universe breakdown

There are now 12 movies in the Marvel Studios cinematic universe, and we rank them all. Check out where your favorite Marvel movie landed on our list right here.

#5. Bryan Singer Confirms Plans for Fantastic Four and X-Men Crossover

Fantastic Four - X-Men

There have been rumblings of a Fantastic Four and X-Men crossover for awhile now, and X-Men franchise director Bryan Singer has confirmed that there are plans in motion to try to make that happen. Find out more right here.

#4. Ant-Man Easter Eggs, Credits Scenes Questions and Alternate Opening

Ant-Man viral backstoryAnt-Man arrived last week, and we ran through a bunch of easter eggs to notice the next time you see the movie. In addition, we asked if one of the credits scenes was a direct response to demand for more female characters and also learned about an alternate opening for the movie. Click the links to find out more.

#3. Pixar Unveils Gorgeous Full Trailer for The Good Dinosaur

The family film arrives on November 25th.

#2. Universal Pictures Sets Jurassic World 2 for Release in 2018

Jurassic World

Now that the film is the #3 highest grossing film in the world, Universal Pictures has officially announced that a sequel to Jurassic World will arrive in 2018. For the specific release date, you'll have to check out our full story.

#1. Christoph Waltz Is the Author of James Bond's Pain in Spectre Trailer

The film arrives on November 6th.

That's all for this edition of Best Stories of the Week.

Click here for the previous edition of Best Stories of the Week.