Entertainment News Roundup: HBO orders new 'Game of Thrones' series as it scraps another; 'Friday' actor John Witherspoon dies aged 77

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

After 20-year wait, Emmerich recounts WW2 battle in drama 'Midway'

Twenty years after first toying with the idea, German film director Roland Emmerich brings his World War Two drama "Midway" to cinemas next month, focusing on the 1942 Battle of Midway. Known for big-budget disaster movies filled with special effects like "Independence Day" and "Godzilla", Emmerich long wanted to recount the giant air and sea battle in the Pacific during which U.S. forces defeated an attacking Japanese fleet.

Movie based on popular novel puts South Korean gender divide back in focus

A movie based on a controversial and best-selling novel that chronicled the everyday sexism faced by women topped South Korea's box office this week, reigniting a national debate over women's roles in an historically male-dominated society. "Kim Ji-young, Born 1982" - based on a 2016 book of the same name - opened in South Korea last week and immediately highlighted divisions within the country over sexism, the anti-harassment #MeToo movement, and feminism.

HBO orders new 'Game of Thrones' series as it scraps another

HBO ordered 10 episodes of a "Game of Thrones" spinoff called "House of the Dragon," the network said on Tuesday, shortly after reports emerged that the premium cable channel had nixed another series set in the world created by author George R.R. Martin. "House of the Dragon" will take place 300 years before the events of "Game of Thrones," a medieval fantasy series that became a global phenomenon before it ended its eight-season run in May.

With Disney, Apple about to enter, the streaming wars are just beginning

Apple Inc's Apple TV+ and Walt Disney Co's Disney+ will launch competitors to streaming video pioneer Netflix Inc in November. Several others already have hit the market or will debut in the coming months. Here's what to expect.

AT&T surprises with HBO Max price in battle against Disney and Netflix

AT&T Inc in May will launch its HBO Max streaming service with a new "Game of Thrones" series at the current HBO price of $15 a month in an aggressive move to battle Netflix, Disney and Apple for the future of TV. The price, which many expected to be higher, surprised the financial analysts and investors attending the WarnerMedia presentation on Tuesday.

'Friday' actor John Witherspoon dies aged 77

Actor John Witherspoon, who starred alongside rapper Ice Cube in the hit "Friday" comedy movie franchise, died on Tuesday at the age of 77, his family said. "We love you "POPS" always and forever," his family said on his Twitter account, referring to another of his roles - John 'Pops' Williams on the long-running sitcom The Wayans Bros.

Linda Hamilton's existential crisis about return to 'Terminator' franchise

Linda Hamilton set a new standard for female action heroes more than 30 years ago, but her return to the "Terminator" movie franchise prompted more than a little soul searching. Hamilton, 63, reunites with Arnold Schwarzenegger and director James Cameron for "Terminator: Dark Fate," out in U.S. movie theaters on Friday.

New 'Star Wars' movie era in disarray after 'Game of Thrones' creators exit

The exit of the "Games of Thrones" creators from the next "Star Wars" film left future stories in the science fiction saga up in the air on Tuesday, although some fans welcomed their departure. David Benioff and D.B. Weiss had been hired in 2018 to write and produce a trilogy of new movies in the blockbuster Walt Disney Co franchise, with the first scheduled for release in December 2022. Ahead of auction,

Olivia Newton-John recalls being stitched into 'Grease' costume

Olivia Newton-John's black leather jacket and very tight pants from "Grease", complete with a broken zipper, go up for auction this week as the top item in a sale to help raise money for her cancer treatment center in Australia. The outfit that marked the singer's transition from demure high schooler to sexy Sandy Olson for the "You're the One That I Want" duet with John Travolta in the 1978 movie musical is expected to fetch up to $200,000, Julien's Auctions said.

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