Entertainment News Roundup: Dystopia and glamour collide as new ‘Mad Max’ saga premieres at Cannes; ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 dives into friends-to-lovers romance and more | Entertainment

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

At Cannes, French #MeToo director hopes film will open dialogue

French director Judith Godreche praised the Cannes Film Festival for welcoming her and cast members of her movie about the #MeToo movement on the red carpet on Thursday, saying she hoped the film would help progress conversation on the matter. “That the festival of Cannes authorized, allowed us this photo and this moment all together, that’s beautiful,” Godreche told journalists, adding: “It’s a way, in fact, to open a dialogue and now we need to continue the dialogue.”

More ‘Mad Max’ stories to tell, says director George Miller

Director George Miller said there are more stories to be told within the “Mad Max” universe, a day after the fifth film in the franchise, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. “There’s certainly other stories there. Mainly because we wrote, in order to tell the story of ‘Fury Road,’ we had to know the back story of Furiosa and Max in the year before,” he told journalists on Thursday.

After decades, Francis Ford Coppola’s opus ‘Megalopolis’ finally debuts at Cannes

Legendary director Francis Ford Coppola closed a decades-in-the-making chapter of his long career on Thursday as his passion project “Megalopolis,” a 138-minute epic science-fiction tale drawn from Roman history, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. With “Megalopolis,” the Oscar-winning director of “The Godfather” is in the running for the Palme d’Or for the first time since “Apocalypse Now” netted him the top prize in 1979.

Dystopia and glamour collide as new ‘Mad Max’ saga premieres at Cannes

Marvel royalty Chris Hemsworth walked the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet alongside star-of-the-show Anya Taylor-Joy for the first time on Wednesday night to mark the world premiere of director George Miller’s much-awaited “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” Hemsworth, aka Thor, went sans bowtie down the carpet alongside his wife, Elsa Pataky, while Taylor-Joy wore an elegant strapless gown. American actor Faye Dunaway and Australian director Baz Luhrmann also attended the event.

Concord terminates $1.51 billion offer for Hipgnosis

Apollo-backed Concord terminated its proposed $1.51 billion offer for Hipgnosis Songs Fund on Thursday, according to Alchemy Copyrights, which indirectly controls Concord. Nashville-based independent music company Concord’s revised offer was trumped by Blackstone’s sweetened $1.57 billion proposal for the owner of music rights of artists including Shakira and Blondie.

Disney, Fox, Warner Bros Discovery sports-streaming venture named Venu Sports

The sports-streaming service set to be launched by Walt Disney Co, Warner Bros Discovery and Fox Corp will be called Venu Sports and is on track for launch this fall, Pete Distad, the venture’s CEO, said on Thursday. Announced in February, the service will try to woo younger viewers who are not tuned in to cable TV with a bundled offering of the companies’ broad portfolio of professional and collegiate sports rights, including the National Football League, the National Basketball Association and FIFA World Cup.

A younger Furiosa stars in action-packed ‘Mad Max’ prequel

Director George Miller needed a fresh set of A-list actors to star in the latest installment of the “Mad Max” franchise, but he knew they would need to bring something special to the iconic roles. That meant recasting the titular role of the officer turned rebel, Furiosa, who was portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Charlize Theron in 2015 film “Mad Max: Fury Road.”

Friendship, not romance, at the heart of comedy film ‘Babes’

For director Pamela Adlon, Hollywood’s overfocus on romance has faded, making room for more stories focused on friendships like her comedy film “Babes.” “I mean, romance is over. Best friends, that’s where it’s at,” Adlon, the Emmy-winning star and co-creator of FX TV drama “Better Things,” told Reuters.

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 dives into friends-to-lovers romance

When Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton were preparing to film Season 3 of the regency era romance series “Bridgerton,” they knew they were going from supporting characters to main characters. And it was scary. Coughlan remembers feeling relaxed while watching the couples from the first two seasons perform because the biggest pressure wasn’t on her yet.

For Cannes film market, conditions ripe for success after early pandemic years

All the elements are in place for a successful Cannes film market after several subdued pandemic years, with a record line-up tempting buyers who are counting on a vibrant international market to eclipse weakness in the United States. While the Cannes Film Festival conjures visions of glamorous celebrities on the red carpet and yacht parties, the main attraction is the film market, where industry players, big and small, gather to do business.

(With inputs from agencies.)