Entertainment Roundup: Ron Howard's documentary; Chernobyl series; Madonna's appeal

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

French prosecutors drop rape investigation against actor Depardieu

French prosecutors have dropped an investigation into rape allegations against the actor Gerard Depardieu, the public prosecutor's office said on Tuesday. One of France's most prolific actors, Depardieu, 70, has starred in some 170 movies throughout his career and gained international recognition in 1990 with his starring role in the English language comedy "Green Card".

Israeli thriller series 'Fauda' digs in for the darker third season

"Fauda", an Israeli TV series that has become a Netflix hit for its unsparing portrayal of undercover commandos who pose as Palestinians to pursue Hamas guerrillas, promises to dig deeper into the conflict in its third season. The first two seasons took place mostly in the occupied West Bank. This time, showrunners Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz have set much of it in the Gaza Strip, where the armed Islamist faction rules and has fought three wars against Israel.

Blackbeard's ship embarks for Supreme Court in video piracy case

The nine black-robed justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will soon navigate the treacherous legal waters around a sailing ship made famous in the 18th century by the notorious English pirate known as Blackbeard. The court on Monday agreed to hear a bid by a documentary filmmaker to revive his lawsuit against state officials in North Carolina who he accused of unlawfully pirating his footage of the wrecked pirate ship named the Queen Anne's Revenge, which went down in 1718.

Ron Howard frames Pavarotti story through arias for the new documentary

Director Ron Howard did not know much about opera, but he understands drama when he sees it, and Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti's life was packed with it. So when it came to making a documentary about the late, beloved "king of the high C's," Howard decided to tell Pavarotti's story largely through some of his most famous arias.

HBO show success drives Chernobyl tourism boom

The success of a U.S. television miniseries examining the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl has driven up the number of tourists wanting to see the plant and the ghostly abandoned town that neighbours it for themselves. One Chernobyl tour agency reported a 40% rise in trip bookings since the series, made by HBO, began in May and which has attracted outstanding reviews.

Godzilla: from radioactive colossus to unlikely climate hero

Ever since Godzilla first rampaged across cinema screens 65 years ago, film critics have seen the reptilian anti-hero as a symbol of the fears gnawing away in the deepest recesses of movie-goers' minds. With the giant lizard's return in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, launched in cinemas at the weekend, reviewers are parsing the blockbuster for insights into the world's paralysis in the face of climate breakdown.

Woody Allen to shoot next movie in Spain, with Christoph Waltz

Woody Allen is set to shoot his next movie in Spain this summer with Oscar winner Christoph Waltz, the director's first film project since "A Rainy Day in New York" that was shelved at the height of the #MeToo movement. Spanish production company MediaPro Studio said in a statement on Tuesday that Allen would begin filming in San Sebastian in July on a romantic comedy about an American couple who visit the San Sebastian film festival.

Madonna loses appeal over the auction of Tupac Shakur breakup letter, other items

Madonna lost a court battle to keep a trove of intimate belongings including a pair of satin panties, a brush containing her hair and a breakup letter from a former boyfriend, the late rapper Tupac Shakur, from heading to the auction block. A New York state appeals court in Manhattan on Tuesday cleared the way for an auction, saying Madonna could not pursue claims against Darlene Lutz, her former friend and art consultant, or the GottaHaveRockandRoll.com online auction website, to which Lutz consigned the items for sale.

(With inputs from agencies.)