Mel Gibson is returning to his Australian roots to direct his first film in a decade, the true story of a conscientious objector who saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

The Oscar-winner, whose family moved to Sydney from New York when he was 12, said he was looking forward to filming the drama "Hacksaw Ridge" where he grew up.

Hollywood stars Johnny Depp and Ralph Fiennes top a powerful line-up at this year's Venice film festival, with US and Italian films dominating the competition for the Golden Lion, from war dramas to rock-star thrillers.

Hearthrob Jake Gyllenhaal of "Brokeback Mountain" fame opens the world's oldest competition, which runs from September 2 to 12, with Baltasar Kormakur's 3D mountain thriller "Everest" from Universal, also starring Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington.

Organizers of the annual Toronto International Film Festival unveiled an ambitious lineup Tuesday leading off with psychological drama "Demolition" by Canadian director Jean-Marc Vallee.

"Alien" director Ridley Scott's eagerly-awaited space adventure "The Martian" will also be among the highlights at the movie fest that runs September 10-20.

Disneyland Paris on Wednesday denied allegations that it overcharges customers from certain countries a day after the European Commission said it had launched a probe.

"Our prices are strictly the same everywhere in the European Union, apart from exchange rates," Disneyland Paris vice president Julien Kauffmann told AFP, adding the only other variations concern special offers.

British singer Jane Birkin has asked luxury manufacturer Hermes to remove her name from its crocodile-skin handbag after learning of the "cruel" methods used to make the iconic accessory.

Costing tens of thousands of euros, the Birkin bag is a symbol of wealth and is much-loved by celebrities, but the version made out of crocodile skin has attracted the ire of animal rights activists.

Supermodel Cindy Crawford is producing a television series inspired by the wars between top modeling agencies in the 1980s, the U.S. magazine Variety reported.

The show "Icon" will chronicle the battles between the Ford Modeling Agency and Elite Model Management.

Thirty-five women who allege they were sexually assaulted by U.S. comedy legend Bill Cosby were united Monday on a magazine cover to tell startlingly similar stories of abuse.

They include models, waitresses, Playboy bunnies and women who used to work in show business. One says he raped her while she was grief stricken over the recent death of her six-year-old son.

British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, whose music career has been soaring, will play a recurring role in a television epic about a medieval warrior, a report said Monday.

Sheeran, who was the most popular artist globally last year on streaming service Spotify, will appear on "The Bastard Executioner" series on the FX network, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Vic Firth, who revolutionized drumsticks and became a household name for generations of percussionists after growing fed up with lackluster quality, has died, his company announced Monday. He was 85.

News of his death set off an avalanche of mourning messages on social media, with Vic Firth becoming a top trending item on Twitter, as percussionists recalled the sticks of the company he founded in 1963.

Flexing her muscles in defiance of the Gulf's conservative cultural stereotypes, bodybuilder Haifa Musawi has lost all hope of pumping iron for Bahrain so now is looking elsewhere for recognition.

The 32-year-old began working out a decade ago after finding a personal trainer to help her overcome obesity -- a widespread problem in the oil-rich region.