Entertainment News Roundup: Writers' strike freezes 'Handmaid's Tale,' 'Game of Thrones' spinoff; Bollywood film on Islamic State recruits sparks debate in India and more

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Bollywood film on Islamic State recruits sparks debate in India

A low-budget Bollywood film about young women recruited by the Islamic State has stirred up passionate debate, helping to make it an instant box-office hit in India. "The Kerala Story," set in the coastal southern state of the same name, follows three women who are indoctrinated, converted and sent to IS camps.

Halle Bailey 'honored' to play Ariel in 'Little Mermaid' remake

Black American singer Halle Bailey has said she was "honored" to play Ariel in the live action remake of "The Little Mermaid", adding she hoped to inspire children of colour with the new iteration of the beloved Disney animation. The 23-year-old plays the mermaid princess who dreams of being a human in the movie, which had its world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night, more than 30 years after the original was released.

Iconic Brazilian rock singer Rita Lee dies at 75

Renowned Brazilian rock singer and songwriter Rita Lee, an icon of the Tropicalia artistic movement, died on Tuesday after a two-year battle with lung cancer, her family said. She was 75. "We announce the death of Rita Lee at her home in Sao Paulo late last night, surrounded by all the love of her family, as she always wanted," a statement posted on the singer's Instagram account said, inviting the public to her wake on Wednesday.

Factbox-When are the Eurovision Song Contest semi-finals and final?

Eurovision 2023 has kicked off in Liverpool, northern England, where acts from 37 countries are competing to win the 67th edition of the song contest. Liverpool is hosting on behalf of Ukraine, which won the contest last with Kalush Orchestra's "Stefania".

Paramount Global cuts 25% of staff in its domestic cable networks - Bloomberg News

Media company Paramount Global, looking to reduce costs as it merges its Showtime and MTV networks, is letting go about 25% of the staff in its domestic cable networks, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. Employees are being notified Tuesday, according to the report.

A Minute With: Jennifer Lopez and 'The Mother' team on 'badass' moms

Jennifer Lopez brings the action in new film "The Mother", playing an assassin who comes out of hiding in the remote wilderness to protect the daughter she was forced to leave as a newborn baby from vengeful criminals. The Netflix movie, which begins streaming on Friday, features plenty of high speed car and motorbike chases, fight scenes and gruelling training for Lopez's character, simply called 'The Mother'.

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.

Disney's Iger may have to add slowing growth to his turnaround checklist

Walt Disney Co's quarterly revenue growth is expected to hit its lowest in nearly two years, underlining the hurdles that Chief Executive Bob Iger faces in revitalizing a company that is now caught in what could be a long strike by Hollywood writers. The results, slated for Wednesday, will mark the first full quarter since Iger returned in November to kick off an overhaul that has seen the company outline 7,000 job cuts, lower theme park ticket prices and prioritize streaming profitability.

'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."

(With inputs from agencies.)