Entertainment News Roundup: Joker no longer a laughing matter; James Franco accused of sexual exploitation

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Director Iannucci swaps political comedies for 'modern' 'David Copperfield'

British satirist Armando Iannucci swaps political comedies for Charles Dickens in "The Personal History of David Copperfield," a comedy-drama adaptation of the literary classic in which Dev Patel leads a racially diverse cast in the Victorian-era movie. The "Lion" and "Slumdog Millionaire" actor, born in London to Indian parents, plays the lead, a role he did not think would come his way, he said at the movie's opening of the BFI London Film Festival on Wednesday evening.

K-pop supergroup SuperM set to make Hollywood debut

K-pop supergroup SuperM, formed by seven members of different South Korean boy bands, will make their Hollywood debut this week, group members said on Wednesday. "It feels like a dream, especially because it’s with these members," one of the group, who goes by the name Taemin, told a news conference in Seoul, referring to the upcoming visit to Los Angeles.

Placido Domingo resigns from LA Opera leadership

Opera singer Placido Domingo on Wednesday resigned as general director of Los Angeles Opera, saying that accusations of sexual misconduct had compromised his ability to continue in the role. "Recent accusations that have been made against me in the press have created an atmosphere in which my ability to serve this Company that I so love has been compromised," Domingo said in a statement to the opera house.

From campy clown to terrifying madman, Joker no longer a laughing matter

There are no capes, no special powers and no battles between good and evil in the new "Joker" movie, whose portrayal of the most famous villain in comic book history is the most chilling twist on the character in 50 years. The Joker has been depicted on television and in movies since 1966 and has undergone a series of ever darker transformations from his early days as a campy clown with a mirthless laugh.

R&B singer R. Kelly gets May 2020 trial date in sex abuse case

Singer R. Kelly will face a May 18 trial on charges that he recruited underage girls and women to have sex with him, isolating them and controlling what they ate and when they went to the bathroom, a U.S. judge ruled on Wednesday. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly set the date for next year's trial, which had been agreed on by prosecutors and Kelly's lawyers, at a hearing in federal court in Brooklyn.

A Minute With: 'The King' cast on Shakespeare and role models

Actor Timothee Chalamet plays an unwilling heir who inherits the throne in "The King", a mediaeval coming-of-age tale loosely based on William Shakespeare’s plays about Prince Hal and his transformation into England's King Henry V. The 23-year-old "Call Me by Your Name" and "Beautiful Boy" actor stars alongside Joel Edgerton, who plays Hal's hard-drinking friend and mentor Sir John Falstaff, Lily-Rose Depp, who portrays Catherine, daughter of France’s King Charles, and Ben Mendelsohn, who features as Hal's father, Henry IV.

Security stepped up as 'Joker' opens in U.S. movie theaters

Police in major U.S. cities were on alert on Thursday as "Joker" opened in movie theaters after weeks of publicity surrounding its disturbing portrait of a bullied loner raised fears it might spark violence. "Joker," an origin story about Batman's comic-book arch-nemesis, stars Joaquin Phoenix in what movie reviewers have called a brilliant but terrifying performance as a mentally unhinged outcast who unwittingly finds fame through an act of violence.

Three indicted on federal drug charges in rapper Mac Miller's death

Three accused drug dealers who prosecutors say supplied rapper Mac Miller with the counterfeit oxycodone laced with fentanyl blamed in his fatal 2018 overdose were indicted on federal drug distribution charges on Wednesday. Investigators say Miller, 26, born Malcolm James McCormick, died at his home in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Studio City after crushing and snorting the pills. An autopsy found he had suffered an accidental overdose of fentanyl, cocaine and alcohol.

Two women accuse actor James Franco of sexual exploitation in lawsuit

Two women filed a civil lawsuit against Hollywood actor James Franco on Thursday, accusing him of running a bogus film school where young women eager to advance their acting careers were duped into auditioning nude or shooting explicit sex scenes. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court, accused the 41-year-old, Oscar-nominated actor, currently starring in the HBO television series "The Deuce," of exploiting aspiring actors at his now-defunct school.

Harvey Weinstein loses bid to have rape trial moved out of New York City

Former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein on Thursday lost his bid to get his upcoming rape trial moved out of New York City, where he has said intense media scrutiny would make it impossible for him to get a fair jury. Once among Hollywood's most powerful producers, Weinstein 67, is scheduled to stand trial in Manhattan in January. He is accused of assaulting two women in 2006 and 2013. To bolster their case, prosecutors will call a third woman to testify that Weinstein raped her in 1993.

Also Read: Joaquin Phoenix defends 'Joker' as families of shooting victims voice concern over film

(With inputs from agencies.)