Entertainment News Roundup: Mickey at a distance as Walt Disney World reopens; 'Batman' to get new spinoff police TV series and more

'Batman' to get new spinoff police TV series The "Batman" universe is expanding, with a TV series set in Gotham City's police department that will explore corruption, streaming platform HBO Max said on Friday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Ex-wife or friend defecated in their bed in "fitting end" to marriage, Depp tells court

Movie star Johnny Depp told London's High Court on Friday that his ex-wife Amber Heard or her friend had defecated in their bed in what he described as a "fitting end to the relationship". Giving evidence over four days in his libel action against Britain's Sun newspaper, which labelled him a wife-beater, Depp has faced allegations that he physically attacked Heard on at least 14 occasions during a three-year period from 2013.

'Glee' star Naya Rivera presumed drowned as search continues for body

Former "Glee" star Naya Rivera is presumed to have drowned while boating on a lake near Los Angeles, authorities said on Thursday, but no body had been found almost 24 hours after she was last seen. Rivera, 33, who played high school cheerleader Santana Lopez in the television series until 2015, went missing on Wednesday after renting a boat on Lake Piru with her four-year-old son Josey.

‘The Ultimate Hold’: Why Disney has investors stuck in place

Walt Disney Co is planning to reopen its Orlando-based Walt Disney World theme park on July 11, ending the longest shutdown of the company's highly profitable U.S. theme park division in its history. Yet investors remain wary that a reopening that includes attendance limits and strict social distancing rules will boost the company's shares, especially as record numbers of coronavirus cases limit the appeal of traveling to Florida. Instead, they point to the company's already-high valuation as a result of the outsized success of its Disney Plus streaming platform as limiting any benefit from the resumption of its U.S. park operations.

Mandatory masks, Mickey at a distance as Walt Disney World reopens

Mickey waved from a distance and visitors wore colorful face masks with mouse ears on Saturday as Florida's Walt Disney World opened to the public for the first time in four months amid a surge of coronavirus cases in the state. Walt Disney Co welcomed a limited number of guests to its two most popular parks at the sprawling Orlando complex, the world's most-visited theme park resort, with a host of safety measures designed to reassure visitors and reduce the chances of catching the sometimes deadly virus.

'Batman' to get new spinoff police TV series

The "Batman" universe is expanding, with a TV series set in Gotham City's police department that will explore corruption, streaming platform HBO Max said on Friday. HBO Max said the original drama series would be produced by Matt Reeves, director of the upcoming Warner Bros. movie "The Batman" that stars Robert Pattinson as the caped crusader with no special superpowers.

Lack of insurance threatens supply of Hollywood films, TV shows in 2021

Insurers have largely stopped covering independent film and television productions against the risk of COVID-19 illness, a shift that threatens the supply of new entertainment in 2021, Hollywood producers, insurers and industry experts said. Thousands of shoots around the world shut down abruptly in March as the novel coronavirus spread and governments imposed lockdowns.

Battle of Britain flypast marks Vera Lynn funeral

A Battle of Britain Memorial Flight flew past the funeral of Vera Lynn on Friday, honouring a singer who became a symbol of hope during World War Two and again during the coronavirus pandemic before her death last month at 103. Known as the Forces' Sweetheart, Lynn died surrounded by family after a lifetime in which she recorded such songs as "The White Cliffs of Dover" and "We'll Meet Again".

Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and son test positive for COVID-19

Amitabh Bachchan, one of India's best known movie stars, has tested positive for COVID-19 together with his actor son Abhishek Bachchan, they said late on Saturday. Both were admitted to the same private hospital

(With inputs from agencies.)