Our monthly round-up of trending entertainment news.

Ewan McGregor gives update on Obi-Wan Kenobi S2

The second-most-viewed Star Wars TV series (after The Mandalorian) might have just gotten the green light for a sophomore season if the latest update from its lead star can be counted on. At the LA Comic Con, McGregor stated that he still has plans for several more stories for his character but did not give any confirmation.

He told fans that he and Disney were “definitely hoping” to make more of the show and were “exploring” potential story ideas for the Jedi Master. Here’s to hoping … exploring!

Princess Diaries 3 confirmed

Millennials, it’s time to bring back those princess fantasies again because the threequel to the Anne Hathaway-led franchise is finally confirmed! The beloved film series will be returning after 20 years with Malaysian writer-director Adele Lim — known for co-writing Crazy Rich Asians — at the helm and Hathaway set to return. There’s no news yet on its plot, and considering the two previous films’ significant deviations from the book series, it could well be anybody’s guess. Another shot at a blah-to-glam montage, perhaps?

Former One Direction Star Liam Payne Dead at 31

Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer, has died aged 31 in Argentina after falling from the third floor of a hotel in Buenos Aires.

In a statement, Bueno Aires police said they discovered Payne’s body after an emergency crew responded to a call in the upscale neighbourhood of Palermo on Wednesday. Officers at the scene were initially responding to reports “of an aggressive man who may have been under the effects of drugs and alcohol”. They later confirmed that Payne jumped off the balcony.

Payne posted on Snapchat just hours before the incident, saying: “It’s a lovely day here in Argentina.”

Amanda Seyfried is open to Sabrina Carpenter playing her daughter in Mamma Mia 3

Hollywood’s tendency to mess with age differences is about to strike again if the stars line up. Amanda Seyfried has said in an interview with ABC News Life that she’s up for having the singer play her daughter in the third instalment of the film franchise should it happen.

“Old-age makeup for me. I don’t mind. I’m an actor. I’ll do it. If Sabrina Carpenter wants to play my daughter, I’ll make it happen,” says Seyfried. It’s not quite out of the ordinary either; in 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Cher (then 71) played Meryl Streep’s (then 68) character’s mother.

Carpenter’s star is on the ascent, and a film looks to be the next big stage for her.

Saoirse Ronan shares that losing out on Harry Potter role “stayed with [her]” for decades

During an interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the four-time Oscar nominee reflected on the roles she’s lost over the years. She claimed that missing out on a chance at a stint in Hogwarts stayed with her the most. She had auditioned for the role of Luna Lovegood, one that eventually went to then-acting newcomer Evanna Lynch.

Ronan tells Kimmel: “I didn’t say no to it, I just didn’t get the part. I lost, again. It’s a running theme for me.” With a Harry Potter TV series currently in the works, perhaps it’s her time to give Hogwarts another go?

Paris vs Rome: Emily in Paris may have ignited a regional ‘war’

When news that Emily in Paris Season 5 would move between the two cities, French President Emmanuel Macron emphatically stated: “We will fight hard. And we will ask them to remain in Paris! Emily in Paris in Rome doesn’t make sense.”

Gallic pride met Italian passion when the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, tweeted: “[translated] Dear @EmmanuelMacron, calm down: Emily is doing great in Rome. Also, the heart cannot be commanded: let her decide (wink emoji).” But it’s all in good fun: Gualtieri went on to state more soberly in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter Roma that perhaps there were more pressing political issues to be concerned with than a TV show.

The battle of the killer clowns: Terrifier 3 crushes Folie à Deux at the box office

Gory indie slasher Terrifier 3 earned US$18.3 million on its opening weekend, while the much-anticipated sequel to Joker dropped 82% in ticket sales the weekend after its already disappointing debut. Featuring terrifying supernatural villain Art the Clown, the Terrifier series has already garnered a cult following thanks to its gruesome (and creative) kill scenes, all done on a very modest budget but with attention to skilled cinematography and strong acting skills. The audience has spoken: they want their killer clowns to be making more mayhem and not doing musical numbers.

Taxi Driver writer Paul Schrader walks out of Joker: Folie à Deux after 15 minutes

It seems like the Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga clown show just can’t catch a break. Veteran Hollywood writer Paul Schrader reportedly walked out of the movie just after 15 minutes, went shopping for a bit, then returned for the final 10 minutes of the show and still declared he hated it.

“I don’t like either of those people [Phoenix and Gaga]. I don’t like them as actors. I don’t like them as characters. I don’t like the whole thing. I mean, those are people who, if they came to your house, you’d slip out the back door,” he said in a recent interview. Strong, passionate words from the writer of the film that inspired the first Joker film.