Best Stories Of The Week: Jurassic World, Halloween, Inside Out, Maleficent 2 And More

If you're not too distracted by the little voices inside your head from this weekend's release of Pixar's Inside Out, then it's time to catch up on some entertainment news with the Best Stories of the Week.

This time we've got updates on Fox's mutant spin-off Gambit with Channing Tatum, development of Pitch Perfect 3, casting for Star Wars: Rogue One and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and new details on the Ghostbusters reboot. There's also new trailers for the animated Peanuts movie, Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell's latest comedy Daddy's Home and Emily Blunt's new thriller Sicario. There's also some great features from the SlashFilm team, including interviews and a farewell from one of our longtime staff members.

Check out the Best Stories of the Week after the jump!

#37. Paramount and Sony Skipping Comic-Con in July

Comic-Con

We already know that Marvel won't have a panel at Comic-Con this summer, and two more movie studios have joined them. Paramount Pictures and Sony Pictures have confirmed that they won't have panels at the pop culture convention in San Diego either. Some of their big films on the horizon include Ghostbusters, Zoolander 2, Spectre, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turltes 2, Goosebumps and Angry Birds. While those projects may still have a presence in San Diego, they won't be previewed in Hall H.

#36. Jemaine Clement in the Trailer for People, Places and Things

The film hits theaters and VOD on August 14th.

#35. Eli Roth Planning Killer Shark Movie Meg

Eli Roth

After killing Nazis in Inglourious Basterds and tourists in Hostel, director Eli Roth is looking to get bloody again with a killer shark movie called Meg. But this wouldn't just be another Great White Shark thriller, as this would focus on the massive carcharodon megalodon. To find out more about the project set up at Warner Bros. Pictures, read our original report.

#34. Trailer for Insane Indie Turbo Kid Speeds In

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

#33. Kenneth Branagh to Direct Murder on the Orient Express Remake

Kenneth Branagh directing Jack RyanThor and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit director Kenneth Branagh is heading into remake territory with the update of the classic Murder on the Orient Express. To find out what we know about the remake of the original thriller, read our full story here.

#32. Robin Williams Gives One Last Performance in Boulevard Trailer

The drama arrives in limited theaters on July 17th.

Rich Famuyiwa Dope header

#31. Interview: Dope Director Rick Famuyiwa

Our own Germain Lussier talked with Dope director Rick Famuyiwa about the Sundance premiere of his film Dope, pop culture, and his unique geek characters in the indie sensation on June 19th. Check out the full interview right here.

#30. Charlize Theron Goes to Dark Places in Thriller Trailer

The thriller arrives on August 7th.

#29. Guards vs. Prisoners in The Stanford Prison Experiment Trailer

The indie drama hits limited theaters on July 17th and VOD services on July 24th.

#28. Tom Hanks is a Hero Again in Captain Sully Drama

Captain Phillips - Tom HanksClint Eastwood will be making another real-life drama next, this time about Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger, the pilot who landed a crippled plane on the Hudson River saving the lives of 155 people. And now it sounds like Tom Hanks will take the lead role, following his previous turn as Captain Phillips. Find out more about the true story right here.

#27. Teaser for Second Season of FX's Fargo Series

The second season premieres in September on FX.

#26. Toy Story with Animals in Secret Lives of Pets Trailer

The animated film arrives on July 8th, 2016.

#25. Adam Sandler Has Father Woes in Hotel Transylvania 2 Trailer

The sequel arrives on September 25th.

#24. Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson Back for Pitch Perfect 3

Pitch Perfect 3 cast

After the box office success of Pitch Perfect 2, Universal Pictures has confirmed that Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson will be back for Pitch Perfect 3. Find out what we know about the sequel so far in our original report.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

#23. Katherine Waterston Joins Harry Potter Spin-Off Fantastic Beasts

Inherent Vice leading lady Katherine Waterston has taken a key role in the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, joining The Theory of Everything star Eddie Redmayne. Get more details on the fantasy spin-off right here.

#22. Matthew Vaughn Hopes to Make a Kick-Ass Prequel

Kick-Ass

Even though Kick-Ass 2 wasn't as good as we all hoped it would be, the original film's director Matthew Vaughn still has hope that a prequel to Kick-Ass will still be made. It would follow Hit Girl and Big Daddy to show us how they took on their hero identities. Vaughn also would still like to see Kick-Ass 3 happen too. Find out what Matthew Vaughn had to say in our full story.

#21. Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell Reunite in Daddy's Home Trailer

The comedy debuts on December 25th.

#20. New Star Wars Video Game Trailers Unveiled at E3

A slew of new trailers for Star Wars video games coming later this year arrived from E3 this week. The most impressive is the above trailer for the expansion pack Star Wars: The Old Republic—Knights of the Fallen Empire but there are also new trailers for Disney Infinity's expansion into Star Wars as well as Star Wars Battlefront gameplay on the planet Hoth and either the familiar Tatooine or the new planet Jakku.

#19. Forest Whitaker Joins Star Wars: Rogue One Cast

Forest Whitaker Rogue One

The cast of Star Wars: Rogue One has gained another fantastic addition with Panic Room and Taken 3 star Forest Whitaker taking an unknown role in the first Star Wars spin-off film. Read everything we know about Star Wars: Rogue One in the full story right here.

#18. Disney Planning Maleficent 2

Maleficent 2

The evil queen will return as Disney is developing a sequel to their revisionist fairytale Maleficent. As of now Angelina Jolie isn't signed on for the sequel, but surely Disney will get her back, because she's quite the box office draw and would be integral to the sequel's success. Get the full story in our original report.

#17. The Crow Loses Star Jack Huston

Jack Huston in Boardwalk Empire

It appears this long-gestating reboot of the comic book adaptation The Crow just can't catch a break. Jack Huston will no longer be in the lead role, leaving director Corin Hardy to find a new star as soon as possible in order to stay on schedule to start shooting in the next few weeks. Get the whole story right here.

The Good Dinosaur 5

#16. The Good Dinosaur Preview: Pixar's Prehistoric Adventure

Our own Angie Han checked out an extended preview of The Good Dinosaur and learned a whole lot about the prehistoric adventure that will mark Pixar's second film of 2015. The voice cast was recently jostled around, but there's a lot more that was revealed in Pixar's preview event. Find out everything we learned about The Good Dinosaur right here.

#15. Mark Wahlberg Thinks Michael Bay Will Direct Transformers 5

Michael Bay directing Transformers 5

In a recent interview, Mark Wahlberg said that he thinks Michael Bay will end up back behind the camera as director of Transformers 5. Find out all the recent developments on the future of the Transformers franchise right here.

#14. Julia Stiles Returns for Bourne 5 with Matt Damon

Julia Stiles and Matt Damon in The Bourne Supremacy

Besides Matt Damon in the lead role, one of the few recurring characters in The Bourne Identity franchise has been Julia Stiles. And it's been confirmed that the actress will return for Bourne 5 from director Paul Greengrass. Get the full story right here.

#13. Charlie Brown Has a Crush in the New Peanuts Trailer

The animated movie arrives on November 6th.

#12. Page 2: Why Get Mad When People Enjoy a Movie You Didn't?

Jurassic World Trailer Still 40

A lot of people are loving Jurassic World, but some people are getting a bit angry that people are enjoying it so much. Is that weird? Do you get angry when someone enjoys a movie that you hated? Join the discussion over here.

#11. Michael Myers Will Be Back in Halloween Returns

Halloween Returns

The future of the long-running Halloween horror franchise has been uncertain for the past few years, but now we have word that Michael Myers will be back in yet another sequel. Find out who will be directing what the story might be in our original report.

#10. Po Meets His Dad in Kung Fu Panda 3 Teaser Trailer

The sequel arrives January 29th, 2016.

#9. Interview: Inside Out Star and Film Nerd Bill Hader

Bill HaderSaturday Night Live veteran and rising star Bill Hader sat down with our own Germain Lussier to talk about his work on Inside Out, what it's like making a Pixar movie and much more. Check out the full interview right here. Also, be sure to read about how Hader geeked out with Steven Spielberg on the set of The BFG.Best Coming of Age Movies

#8. Top 25 Coming of Age Movies of the Past 25 Years

In honor of the recent release of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl and this week's debut of Dope, our own Ethan Anderton revealed what he thinks are the 25 Best Coming of Age Movies of the Past 25 Years. Did your favorites make the cut? Check out the full list right here.

#7. Is Wolverine 3 Based on the Old Man Logan Comic Book?

wolverine

We're still not entirely sure what Wolverine 3 will be about, but the film is coming in 2017 and a new rumor has surfaced saying that the story arc will be based on the comic storyline called Old Man Logan. Get the whole scoop right here.

#6. Emily Blunt Stars in Intense Trailer for Sicario

The thriller arrives on September 18th

#5. Director Rupert Wyatt Boards Gambit with Channing Tatum

Gambit in Apocalypse

The X-Men spin-off Gambit now has a director with Rise of the Planet of the Apes and The Gambler helmer Rupert Wyatt boarding the project. However, for those hoping to see Channing Tatum pop up as the kinetically charged mutant in X-Men: Apocalypse, it sounds like that won't be happening after all. Find out more about Gambit right here.

#4. Mark Ruffalo May Be in Captain America: Civil War After All

Mark Ruffalo in Avengers: Age of Ultron

Even though Mark Ruffalo wasn't listed as being part of the cast of Captain America: Civil War when production began, a recent interview with the actor revealed that he might pop up after all. Ruffalo says that Robert Downey Jr. told him that he would have a role in the movie, but Marvel hasn't contacted him yet. Hear what Ruffalo has to say about the situation over here.

#3. Ghostbusters Starts Shooting in Boston, Set Photos Surface

New Ghostbusters Movie

The reboot of Ghostbusters from director Paul Feig has just started production in Boston, and some set photos have surfaced showing off Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Kate McKinnon in the film. Find out more about the reboot's plot and find out where you can see the photos in our original post.

#2. Germain Lussier Says Farewell to SlashFilm

Empire Strikes Back Ending

Our longtime writer Germain Lussier had his last day at SlashFilm on Friday, June 19th, and we will miss him dearly. Read his fond farewell to SlashFilm and all of you readers right here.

#1. Jurassic World is King of the Box Office, Sequels on the Way

The Sound of Jurassic WorldJurassic World has been the talk of the town since debuting in theaters last weekend and smashing box office records to become the biggest debut in history. And all week we've had tons of buzz, chatter and more focused on Jurassic World, so here's all the good stuff from the past week for you to check out regarding the Jurassic Park sequel:

  • Chris Pratt already signed for sequels
  • Director Colin Trevorrow talks setting up Jurassic World 2
  • Did you catch all these Jurassic Park easter eggs?
  • /Filmcast Episode 322 Talks Jurassic World
  • Colin Trevorrow and Chris Pratt appear on Nerdist podcast
  • Interview with producer Frank Marshall
  • Interview with Director Colin Trevorrow
  • Interview with star Ty Simpkins
  • Interview with star B.D. Wong
  • Find out how they made the Sound of Jurassic World
  • The Onion reviews Jurassic World
  • Chris Pratt gets scared by a dinosaur prank
  • Jurassic World sparks adorable zookeeper meme
  • Is Jurassic World about the making of Jurassic World?
  • Marvel concedes box office top spot to Universal
  • Sound Off: Tell us what you thought of Jurassic World
  • That's it for the Best Stories of the Week. Stay tuned to see what happens next week!