Hollywood

Lucasfilm has tapped Jon Watts to direct its next Star Wars movie. Watts is best known for helming Marvel's Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland. Details on the film's plot and release timing have not been announced, and the news was reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Avengers: Endgame has taken in around $26 million at the box office over a weekend crowded with competing releases, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Marvel blockbuster continues to draw audiences well into its theatrical run despite facing several new films vying for moviegoers' attention, underscoring its lasting commercial strength.

YouTube and Meta have reversed their earlier decisions and will now accept advertising for the 'Musk' trailer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The shift means promotional material for the film can run on both major digital platforms, and the reversal is drawing attention as a notable about-face by two of the biggest players in online advertising.

Film industry executives and creators met at the Zurich Summit to debate the growing divide over artificial intelligence in filmmaking. Discussions centered on how AI is reshaping production, storytelling and jobs, with executives and creative talent voicing sharply different views on its risks and benefits. The summit is one of the key annual gatherings where Hollywood's business and creative sides confront emerging industry tensions.

Actress Susan Sarandon was taken into custody alongside roughly 100 other demonstrators during a protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, according to the Mirror. Details of the protest's organisers and demands were not provided in the report, and police have not issued a full statement on charges or releases.

A new legal complaint alleges that text messages connect a crisis public relations adviser working for actor and director Justin Baldoni to secret websites used to smear Blake Lively during their ongoing legal dispute. The claim adds a new layer to the high-profile Hollywood litigation, drawing attention to the tactics allegedly used by Baldoni's publicity team.

The Last of Us season 3 has reportedly cast two actors from the video games, joining a major Hollywood star for the HBO adaptation's next run. The news has been picked up by entertainment outlets and is generating chatter among fans of the franchise, who are eager to see which game characters will appear on screen and how the new cast members fit into the show's story.

Jeffrey Katzenberg, the renowned former Disney studio chief and DreamWorks co-founder, says the creative industries should accept artificial intelligence rather than resist it. His comments argue that AI adoption is inevitable for production and creative work, a stance likely to fuel ongoing debate among filmmakers, artists and studios already divided over AI's role in writing, animation and design.

Major social media platforms are declining to run paid advertisements for Alex Gibney's documentary 'Musk', according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film examines Elon Musk, and the ad rejections span the leading platforms, raising questions about whether the refusals stem from content policies, reputational concerns, or the subject matter itself. The report has drawn attention to the tensions between Musk's ownership of X and coverage of him in media.

French science outlet Futura reports that scientists are examining whether a nuclear detonation could be used to save Earth, most likely by deflecting a dangerous asteroid on a collision course with the planet. The idea, long confined to Hollywood films like Armageddon, is now being seriously studied by researchers, who are running tests and simulations on what they call the unthinkable scenario.

Sylvester Stallone has spoken publicly about experiencing severe anxiety and recurring anxiety attacks. The actor's candid disclosure has drawn attention as fans and media discuss his openness about mental health struggles. Details of when and where he made the comments, and how he is managing the condition, have not been widely reported, but the revelation is prompting conversation about anxiety and mental health in the entertainment world.

Tilly Norwood, the AI-generated actress who has drawn controversy in Hollywood, malfunctioned during an interview with Piers Morgan, unexpectedly speaking Cantonese. The glitch adds to ongoing debate about synthetic performers, with critics and industry figures already wary of AI-created talent competing with human actors for roles.

A new report highlights a bipartisan effort in the United States to encourage Hollywood studios to move film production back to American soil, a topic gaining traction as productions have increasingly shifted abroad. The same commentary also marks the 20th anniversary of 'V for Vendetta' and features an interview with the film's director, adding a cultural angle to the discussion.

Sylvester Stallone says he developed bulimia while preparing for the 'Rocky' movies and also used steroids to get in shape for the iconic boxing role. In extreme training for the films, he restricted his eating to dangerous levels, describing a regimen that damaged his health. The candid admission sheds new light on the physical toll behind one of Hollywood's most famous franchises.

Actor John Turturro is drawing attention for joining this year's Oscar race while also discussing the upcoming third season of 'Severance'. The Hollywood Reporter carried his remarks, which touch on both his awards-contending work and the future of the Apple TV+ series in which he stars. Awards-season watchers are following his chances, while 'Severance' fans are eager for any details about the show's continuation.

Netflix is trending in searches in India, ranking tenth with roughly 200 searches. The most visible recent headline is that a 'Sesame Street' movie is in development at the streaming platform, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Beyond that story, the collected posts do not show what specifically is driving interest among Indian users, so the exact cause of the trend is not clear from the available evidence.

The Space Foundation, based in Colorado Springs, has selected a retired general and an actress to join its board of directors. The announcement, reported by the Colorado Springs Gazette, drew attention because of the unusual pairing of a military figure and an entertainer in space-sector leadership. Details on the individuals' names and terms were not included in the available reports.

The film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's bestselling romance novel 'The Love Hypothesis' is drawing attention over changes being made from the book to the screen. Fans of the novel are discussing which plot points and characters may be altered in the movie version, a common point of contention when popular books reach Hollywood.

Celebrity chef and Food Network personality Ina Garten says she would not agree to a film about her life unless it told her story accurately, declining any biopic that would alter or embellish the facts. The remarks by the Barefoot Contessa star are drawing attention as Hollywood continues its run of high-profile musician and celebrity biopics.