1. The fall of Harvey Weinstein

To be upfront from the off, we are not the site to come to for insight around the Harvey Weinstein scandal. The wealth of female actors coming forward to produce a cacophony of harrowing stories will speak louder than any words we can muster. As the story continues to develop, the facts we do know are that Weinstein has been fired from his company, and fled to Europe for help. This is an ugly situation that shines a light on one of Hollywood’s most powerful men who was consistently reprehensible towards women. One fears this is not the case of one bad apple, but suggests an endemic mistreatment of women in Hollywood by those in power.

2. Small indie project, The Last Jedi, gets impressive-looking trailer.

The new annual Christmas tradition of receiving a new Star Wars film is a blessing in itself. When it looks as promising as The Last Jedi, it feels like all our Christmases have come at once. Goodness me, the new trailer looks astounding. From the stunning visuals, to the focus upon Rey and Ren, to the outrageously cute Porgs. Even TLJ director Rian Johnson, who initially asked fans to avoid any new promotional material, caved and fanboyed. The new trailer doesn’t give any story droplets away, but it does tease us in the best, and most excruciating, way. Bring on December 15.

3. Stallone gets into the ring one last time for Creed 2

Wherever there’s a will, there’s a way. With Ryan Coogler, Creed’s director, off directing Black Panther for Marvel, it seemed unlikely he would have time to squeeze in a sequel for Michael B. Jordan’s rising star. Yet Stallone, much like Rocky Balboa, never gave up. Through the medium of Instagram, Stallone has consistently been posting suggestive posts around the introduction of Ivan Drago, the idea of doing it “one last time”, and the prospect of working with Michael B. Jordan again. Well, it looks like Warner Bros. have finally caved in as Stallone announced, on Instagram obviously, that he was beginning production on Creed 2. We adored the first one, so we really, really hope Stallone delivers on the next installment.

4. We don’t deserve nice things #4636: Blade Runner 2049

Despite our glowing five-star review from Tom, Blade Runner 2049 is a flop. Taking just $36.7 million in its opening weekend, it appears that audiences have failed to connect once more with the world of replicants. Even with its budget of $300 million plus (inc. marketing spend) and the glowing reviews, Harrison Ford and co. have failed to push audiences into cinema seats. As Deadline points out, the original 1982 Blade Runner didn’t connect with the masses, ultimately closing to $28 million. It’s a shame though that this high-end art has resulted in such dismal results.

5. Smith and Holland are guys who will be Spies in Disguise

With their Ice Age movies taking over $3 billion worldwide, and the successes of The Book of Life, Rio, and Fantastic Mr. Fox, Fox Animation have seen the future. From now on, the studio aim to release one animated film a year, and their latest project is Spies in Disguise. Based on Pigeon: Impossible (see above) a 2009 animated short film by Lucas Martell that followed a secret agent who nearly triggers a global conflict when a pigeon gets stuck in a government-issued nuclear briefcase. Fox are positioning this new project as a buddy comedy, landing Will Smith and ever-rising star Tom Holland as the vocal talents.

6. Giovanni Ribisi will watch all four Avatar sequels… because he’s in them.

Truly the big question on everybody’s lips was will Giovanni Ribisi be able to find any more of that juicy unobtainium? Well, luckily, we will have the answer soon(-ish). The actor will reprise his role as Parker Selfridge, the head administrator of RDA, from the 2009 film that continues to hold the record for highest-grossing film of all time with a worldwide box office tally of $2.79 billion. Ribisi is not the only one returning. Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, and Stephen Lang are also reprising their roles from Avatar in the four new sequels, which are all being directed by James Cameron. The first of the Avatar Sequels, as they’re officially called, will hit theaters on December 18, 2020. We can already feel your pulses quicken.

7. Disney cut down the Gigantic beanstalk

It doesn’t happen very often when a movie in full pre-production is shelved, but that’s what we’ve got with Gigantic. The Disney animation, originally set for release in 2020, was being developed as an updated take on the Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale, in which Jack befriends a female giant. It’s a bit of a bum note frankly, as everything looked so promising. Inside Out co-writer Meg LeFauve and Nathan Greno (Tangled) were directing the project, while Frozen songwriters Robert Lopez and Kirsten Anderson-Lopez were to have written songs for the film. Sadly it seems creative walls were being hit left, right and centre. “With Gigantic, we’ve come to that point, and although it’s a difficult decision, we are ending active development for now. We are focusing our energies on another project that has been in the works, which we’ll be sharing more about soon, now set for Thanksgiving 2020,” said Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios president Ed Catmull. Up next for Disney, they’ve got Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2, which is set to open November 21, 2018, and Frozen 2, which is slated for November 27, 2019.

8. It’s X-Men, but not as you know it

While the indie number that is The Last Jedi will garner most of the world’s eyeballs, The New Mutants has grabbed our attentions with a jolt. Fresh from The Fault in Our Stars, director Josh Boone has dived into the Marvel Comics superhero team of the same name, with the potential of a trilogy if all goes well. Well, the young cast is a tantalising one to watch – now and in the future – with new scream queen Anya Taylor-Joy, Maisie Williams, Charlie Heaton, Henry Zaga and Blu Hunt involved. While this movie is intended to be the eleventh in the X-Men universe, this new feature has a clear shift in tone. Honestly, it looks tremendous – scary, young, dark, vibrant, and, most importantly, fresh. Bring on The New Mutants in April 2018.