The day in entertainment mixes remembrance, recognition and industry experimentation. Two actor deaths prompt tributes across film and television, while major wins, casting news and an AI-generated movie debut show a business still balancing prestige, celebrity and new technology...
The day in entertainment mixes remembrance, recognition and industry experimentation. Two actor deaths prompt tributes across film and television, while major wins, casting news and an AI-generated movie debut show a business still balancing prestige, celebrity and new technology.
Veteran Nollywood actor Francis Duru dies at 57 after a brief illness, with his family announcing the news on Friday. Tributes follow from President Bola Tinubu and figures across Nigeria’s film industry, reflecting Duru’s long career and his standing as a familiar and influential presence in Nollywood.
Raye wins the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second studio album, This Music May Contain Hope. The award, presented at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, recognizes the best album released by a British or Irish artist over the past year and carries a £25,000 prize.
China’s first fully AI-generated feature film, Sanxingdui: Future Past, opens in cinemas to a muted commercial start. Weak advance sales and a lukewarm audience response turn the release into an early test of whether moviegoers will pay to see a feature built entirely with artificial intelligence.
Rebel Wilson wins A$359,000 in a New South Wales Supreme Court countersuit tied to the Australian film The Deb, which she directed. The ruling marks a legal victory for Wilson after an earlier dispute with the film’s co-producers over the production.
Netflix’s The Gentlemen starts production on its third season with a slate of new cast additions, including Orlando Bloom and Elijah Wood. Other newcomers include Robert Carlyle, Dexter Fletcher, Bruna Marquezine, Saffron Burrows and Ed Speleers, as creator Guy Ritchie signals a broader scale for the next chapter.
Prince William makes an unannounced appearance on The Graham Norton Show to promote the Earthshot Prize. The visit is filmed for a special edition linked to the environmental initiative, giving the campaign a high-profile entertainment platform and surprising the studio audience.
Michael Gray, the actor best known for playing Billy Batson in CBS’s live-action Shazam! series, dies at 75 in Palm Desert, California. His death is attributed to natural causes, closing the career of a performer closely associated with 1970s television.
Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields revive their rock duo Dead Man’s Bones after 17 years, with new music set for release next week. The return brings back a side project that developed a cult following after the pair’s only album and long hiatus.
Top Entertainment stories
- Raye wins 2026 Mercury Prize for “This Music May Contain Hope” (17 sources)
- Ryan Gosling’s Dead Man’s Bones to release new music after 17-year hiatus (11 sources)
- Prince William makes surprise appearance on Graham Norton to promote Earthshot Prize (9 sources)
- Michael Gray, star of CBS’ Shazam! as Billy Batson, dies at 75 (8 sources)
- Charli xcx to cameo in Martin Scorsese’s ‘What Happens at Night’ with DiCaprio and Lawrence (8 sources)
- Tinubu and Nollywood figures mourn veteran actor Francis Duru at 57 (7 sources)
- The Gentlemen Season 3 adds Orlando Bloom and other actors as production begins (7 sources)
- Judge finds Rebel Wilson behind smear websites, awarding $359,000 in The Deb dispute (7 sources)
Paige Webley
Author at IfHighLow
