Entertainment News Roundup: Writers' strike freezes 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'Game of Thrones' spinoff; ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts’ reconfigures for diverse cast and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs. Writers' strike freezes 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'Game of Thrones' spinoff Writing for a new season of "The Handmaid's Tale" and a coming "Game of Thrones" prequel was halted as a nearly week-long strike by thousands of film and television writers rippled across Hollywood on Monday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Writers' strike freezes 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'Game of Thrones' spinoff

Writing for a new season of "The Handmaid's Tale" and a coming "Game of Thrones" prequel was halted as a nearly week-long strike by thousands of film and television writers rippled across Hollywood on Monday. The writers of Emmy-winning Hulu drama "The Handmaid's Tale" had penned some early episodes for a new season ahead of filming that was supposed to start in late summer, said co-executive producer and writer Yahlin Chang.

'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' reconfigures for diverse cast

The Paramount Pictures "Transformers" film franchise has switched gears in its latest installment by adding more diversity to its lead roles, namely "In the Heights" actor Anthony Ramos and "Swarm" TV series actor Dominique Fishback. "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," which arrives in theaters on June 9, is the seventh installment in the series based on the popular Hasbro toys, and is a sequel to "Bumblebee."

Streaming broke the career ladder, striking Hollywood writers say

Ronald D. Moore started his television writing career in 1989 in a junior-level job on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" before he rose through the ranks to produce hits such as "Battlestar Galactica" and "Outlander." That path to success is hard to find in today's Hollywood, Moore and other writers say, and is one reason the Writers Guild of America (WGA) called a strike that began May 2 and has shut down late-night television and threatens to undermine the crucial fall TV season.