Entertainment News Roundup: Ennio Morricone dies aged 91; Johnny Depp launches London tabloid court battle and more

Depp, the 57-year-old star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, is suing the Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, for libel over an article Wootton wrote in 2018 calling him a "wife beater".

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Ex-wife's accounts of abuse were elaborate hoax, actor Depp tells UK court

Hollywood star Johnny Depp told London's High Court on Wednesday that allegations he had physically abused his ex-wife Amber Heard were a hoax built up over years during their relationship as an 'insurance policy'. Giving evidence on the second day of his libel trial against Britain's Sun newspaper, which described him as a "wife beater", Depp was quizzed about an unsent email composed by Heard in June 2013, three years before she publicly accused him of abuse.

Johnny Depp launches London tabloid court battle

Johnny Depp launched his legal action against Britain's The Sun newspaper on Tuesday in a case that is likely to delve into the private lives of the Hollywood star and his ex-wife actress Amber Heard. Depp, the 57-year-old star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, is suing the Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, for libel over an article Wootton wrote in 2018 calling him a "wife beater".

Coronavirus survivor Tom Hanks does not 'have much respect' for people who shun basic precautions

Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks, who recovered after being infected with the novel coronavirus earlier this year, said he does not hold much respect for people who decline to practice precautions such as wearing a mask in public. Hanks and his wife, actress and singer Rita Wilson, disclosed in March that they had tested positive for the coronavirus while in Australia for a film shoot.

Prominent people diagnosed with COVID-19

One of the patriarchs of jazz, Libya's rebel prime minister and the Chinese doctor reprimanded for issuing an early warning about the novel coronavirus - they are among the more than half a million people who have died from COVID-19. Below is a list of some prominent people who have been diagnosed with the novel coronavirus. (Click here to see a slideshow: https://reut.rs/38zyAtI)

Immortal mercenaries confront reality of forever in Netflix's 'The Old Guard'

Audiences are used to seeing comic book superheroes come to life on screen but in "The Old Guard" the heroes only have one power - immortality. Charlize Theron stars in the action film, arriving on Netflix on Friday, as the leader of a small unit of immortal mercenaries who are trying to help humanity. It is based on the 2017 comic book by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez.

Actor Depp appears in UK court, rejects ex-wife's abuse claims

Hollywood star Johnny Depp accused his ex-wife Amber Heard of lying about him beating her up, and told London's High Court on Tuesday that she had actually struck him. Depp, the 57-year-old star of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" films, is suing The Sun's publisher, News Group Newspapers, and its executive editor, Dan Wootton, for libel over an article Wootton wrote in April 2018 calling him a "wife beater".

Kaepernick signs production deal with Disney, ESPN for life documentary series

ESPN Films will produce a documentary series about the life of NFL quarterback and civil rights advocate Colin Kaepernick as part of a wide-ranging production deal announced by Walt Disney Co on Monday. Under the arrangement, Kaepernick's company Ra Vision Media will produce scripted and unscripted stories that explore race, social justice and the quest for equity, a statement from Disney said.

Kanye West's clothing brand, Hollywood production companies on pandemic loan list

Ventures backed by big-name entertainers Kanye West and Francis Ford Coppola were among those approved for loans under a U.S. government program to help businesses survive the coronavirus pandemic, according to a list released on Monday. Billionaire rapper West's clothing brand Yeezy received clearance for a loan of between $2 million and $5 million under the Paycheck Protection Program, the U.S. Small Business Administration said.

Country star Charlie Daniels, singer of 'Devil Went Down to Georgia,' dies at 83

Country music band leader Charlie Daniels, singer and fiddler player on the Grammy-winning hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," died on Monday at age 83 at a hospital in Tennessee, his publicist said. Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Grand Ole Opry, died from a stroke, according to a statement from his publicist, Don Murry Grubbs.

Italian film composer Ennio Morricone dies aged 91

Ennio Morricone, the Oscar-winning Italian composer whose haunting scores to Spaghetti Westerns like "A Fistful of Dollars" and "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" helped define a cinematic era, died on Monday. He was 91. Morricone broke his femur 10 days ago and died at dawn in a clinic in Rome, his lawyer Giorgio Assumma told Reuters.