Reuters Entertainment News Summary

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

France and Korea to lead debate on film industry's big issues at Lumiere summit

France and South Korea will lead debate at a one-day summit next week on ​how the film industry should respond to artificial intelligence, compete with social media platforms and cope with funding shortages, the secretary general of the ​summit said in a press briefing on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron and South Korean President Lee Jae ‌Myung will ​co-chair the summit on Monday, which organizers said would include representatives from the major Hollywood studios, including Disney, NBCUniversal and Netflix, the CAA talent agency, and the technology industry.

Meghan Markle casting reports spark buzz among stars at 'The Gentlemen' premiere

Reports that Meghan Markle had been in talks to join Guy Ritchie's "The Gentlemen" sparked plenty of discussion at the Netflix series' season two world premiere on Wednesday, with lead actor Theo James saying he was "intrigued" by the speculation. While "Breaking Bad" star Giancarlo Esposito said someone with ‌such a high profile could be "a great plus or a great negative", Hugh Bonneville dismissed the reports as "a genius piece of marketing".

Hollywood summer box office hits pre-pandemic stride as women, younger audiences return to theaters

Hollywood is closing out its best summer since the pandemic, as an eclectic mix of blockbusters, sequels and original films wooed moviegoers back to the theaters. The U.S. and Canadian box office generated $4.6 billion in ticket sales from the first weekend in May through Aug. 30, according to measurement firm Rentrak.

Entertainment platform aTwist launches with microseries as Hollywood chases mobile viewers

Microseries platform and studio aTwist launched on Thursday with 10 original series and curated library content, as shifting entertainment preferences drive ‌a wave of demand for mobile-first short-form storytelling. Microdramas are gaining popularity as Hollywood production shrinks and streaming companies face competition from platforms such as YouTube, with the format expected to generate $1.5 billion in U.S. revenue this year, according to research firm Omdia.

A galaxy of storytelling comes to life at George Lucas’ new museum

While ‌a trip to a galaxy far, far away may still be out of reach, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles offered a closer look on Wednesday at the art and storytelling behind George Lucas' Star Wars franchise and countless others. "This is a big celebration for us, because it's taken so long to get here," Lucas said during a pre-opening ceremony for the press at the museum, which opens to the public on September 22.

A CIA operative reckons with history in McDonagh's Venice film

Director Martin McDonagh said his dark comedy "Wild Horse Nine", which premieres at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday and centres on two CIA operatives before Chile's 1973 coup, feels unexpectedly relevant in today's turbulent world. The British-Irish filmmaker is known for crafting original stories that pair razor-sharp dialogue with ⁠bleak subject matter, including "Three ​Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and "The Banshees of Inisherin", which opened at Venice in 2022.

Everest adventure ⁠becomes story of loss in Venice festival documentary

A documentary about two elite mountaineers pursuing an apparently impossible dream became a study of grief and resilience after tragedy struck during production, its directors said at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. "Everest: The Other Side" began as the story of ski mountaineers Jim Morrison and Hilaree Nelson and their ambition to climb and ski down Everest's direct North Face, ⁠a forbidding route few climbers have ever completed and no one has skied.

Mara sisters speak as one in Herzog's Venice contender

Sisters Rooney and Kate Mara said years of shared experiences helped them master a unique acting challenge: speaking in perfect unison for Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday. In the film, inspired by real-life British ​twins, the Mara sisters play Jean and Joan Holbrooke, whose extraordinary closeness has them speaking in perfect synchrony, share the same dreams and fall in love with the same man.

CD Projekt RED still has two unannounced projects in the pipeline, CFO says

CD Projekt RED has two unannounced projects ⁠in the development phase, the video game developer's finance chief Piotr Nielubowicz said during a post-earnings conference call on Wednesday. Poland's biggest game developer on Wednesday posted a 37% rise in its half-year net profit to 249.1 million zlotys ($66.75 million), beating analysts' expectations of 201 million zlotys seen in a Reuters poll.

Venice film shows Murdoch shaking up hidebound Britain

British director Danny Boyle's new movie "Ink", unveiled on Wednesday, examines how Rupert Murdoch's assault ⁠on ​Britain's media establishment was first embraced as a breath of fresh air before turning into a much darker story. "Ink" opens the 83rd Venice Film Festival, giving Boyle a high-profile launch for a project he joked many people initially thought was about tattoos rather than the newspaper industry.

Mexican musician, family members slain in gruesome shooting at upscale penthouse

A Mexican musician, his pregnant wife, 3-year-old daughter, a young domestic worker and the family's pet dog were tied up and shot dead in a gruesome scene at his penthouse in an upscale residential block outside Mexico City. Their 6-year-old son was found at the scene unharmed, local authorities said on Wednesday.

US FCC asks ⁠court to reject Disney lawsuit over ABC TV station licenses

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission asked a federal judge on Thursday to toss out Disney's lawsuit seeking to block the agency's early review of licenses for the entertainment giant’s eight company-owned ABC stations. The FCC said if Disney were successful, it would prevent the ⁠commission from analyzing evidence in its ongoing investigation and hobble the agency's "efforts to investigate and resolve ⁠serious allegations that Disney has engaged in unlawful discrimination."

CD Projekt H1 profit jumps 37%, beats estimates

Poland's biggest game developer CD Projekt RED on Wednesday reported a 37% rise in half-year net profit compared with the previous year thanks to strong sales of games. Net profit was 249.1 million zlotys ($66.70 million) beating analysts' expectations of 201 million zlotys seen in Reuters poll.

Clooney tells Venice festival that AI threatens film and journalism

U.S. actor George Clooney warned on Wednesday that advances in artificial ‌intelligence were making it increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from ‌fiction, posing a challenge for journalists, governments and the public. Speaking at the Venice Film Festival, where he is receiving a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, the actor, filmmaker ​and political activist said deepfake technology and AI-generated content were undermining trust in information.