People News Roundup: U.S. judge dismisses actor Jussie Smollett's lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution; Whitney Houston's life to be made into feature film and more

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

U.S. judge dismisses actor Jussie Smollett's lawsuit alleging malicious prosecution

A U.S. federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by former "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett who accused the city of Chicago of malicious prosecution in concluding that his claim to having been the victim of a racist and homophobic beating was a hoax. U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall said in the ruling, published on the court's website, that Smollett "cannot bring a state malicious claim until proceedings against him have been terminated."

Whitney Houston's life to be made into feature film

Whitney Houston is headed back to the big screen in a feature film about the singer's life that took her to the heights of fame but ended in drug addiction and tragedy. Taking its title from one of Houston's biggest hits - "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" - the film has the backing of the singer's estate and her longtime record producer and mentor Clive Davis, producers said on Wednesday.