Entertainment News Roundup: New Batman story to debut on Spotify podcast; Disney plans 'Lion King' follow-up film with 'Moonlight' director and more

In a statement posted on Facebook late on Tuesday, manager Jim Morey said Davis, whose family announced earlier this week that he was critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville, Tennessee, was surrounded by his wife Lise and three sons when he died.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Country singer/songwriter Mac Davis, who wrote 'In the Ghetto,' dead at 78

Mac Davis, a singer, songwriter and television personality who wrote hit songs for several country music stars after his breakout song, "In the Ghetto," was recorded by Elvis Presley, has died at 78, his manager said. In a statement posted on Facebook late on Tuesday, manager Jim Morey said Davis, whose family announced earlier this week that he was critically ill following heart surgery in Nashville, Tennessee, was surrounded by his wife Lise and three sons when he died.

Disney plans 'Lion King' follow-up film with 'Moonlight' director

Walt Disney Co is developing a follow-up to its 2019 retelling of "The Lion King" under the direction of Oscar-winning "Moonlight" director Barry Jenkins. The original 1994 animated Disney classic tells the coming of age story of a young lion cub named Simba. The 2019 version used photo-realistic technology that made it look similar to live action.

David Attenborough leads call for world to invest $500 billion a year to protect nature

British broadcaster David Attenborough on Wednesday led a campaign by conservation groups for the world to invest $500 billion a year to halt the destruction of nature, saying the future of the planet was in "grave jeopardy". Attenborough, whose new film "A Life on Our Planet" documents the dangers posed by climate change and the extinction of species, made his statement as the United Nations convened a one-day summit aimed at galvanising action to protect wildlife.

Meghan loses bid to stop newspaper using biography in court battle

Meghan, Britain's Duchess of Sussex, has lost the latest skirmish in her privacy lawsuit against a tabloid newspaper, after London's High Court ruled on Tuesday the paper could amend its case to include details from a recently published biography. Meghan, wife of Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince Harry, is suing publisher Associated Newspapers over articles the Mail on Sunday last year that included parts of a handwritten letter she sent to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, in 2018.

Harry Potter flies in London, playing Quidditch over Leicester Square

A statue of Harry Potter, flying a Nimbus 2000 broom over the Hogwarts Quidditch pitch, was unveiled on Wednesday in London's Leicester Square. The bronze statue, which shows Potter, played by Daniel Radcliffe, is just a few steps from where the film "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" had its world film premiere in November 2001.

Universal Pictures, LeBron James' SpringHill sign first-look film deal

Universal Pictures has entered into a four-year, first-look production deal with the SpringHill Company, the entertainment brand created by NBA star LeBron James and co-founder Maverick Carter, the Comcast Corp unit said on Tuesday. Universal has been collaborating with SpringHill for several years and have multiple projects in various stages of development, beginning with an untitled film based on the book "Shooting Stars" by James and Buzz Bissinger and other events in James' life.

Creator of beloved Argentina cartoon character Mafalda dies at 88

Argentine cartoonist Quino, the creator of Mafalda, the inquisitive and quick-witted girl who used humor and irony to call for greater democracy in the crisis-prone country, has died at the age of 88, his editor reported Wednesday. Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known as Quino, recently suffered a stroke and, despite the fact that doctors managed to temporarily stabilize him, his condition worsened, local media reported.

Helen Reddy, singer of feminist anthem 'I Am Woman', dies at 78

Singer Helen Reddy, whose 1972 song "I Am Woman" became a global feminist anthem, died in Los Angeles aged 78 on Tuesday, her family said. "Our hearts are broken. But we take comfort in the knowledge that her voice will live on forever," the family wrote on her official Facebook account.

New Batman story to debut on Spotify podcast in 2021

An original story about Batman alter-ego Bruce Wayne will debut next year as a podcast series on the Spotify streaming service, the producers announced on Tuesday. Called "Batman Unburied," the series is the first being developed through a deal between Spotify Technology SA and AT&T Inc's Warner Bros to bring DC Comics superheroes to the world of narrative podcasts.

50 years on, 'Trial of Chicago 7' feels all about today

It may be set in the late 1960s but "The Trial of the Chicago 7," with its themes of protest, civil rights and police brutality, has much to say about America today. Already creating Oscar buzz, the movie lands in a nation polarized by the upcoming November elections and riven by months of street protests over systemic racism.

(With inputs from agencies.)