Jeremy Irons to return as Alfred in Justice League

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Actor Jeremy Irons has confirmed that he will be back as Alfred Pennyworth in Justice League Part One. Irons told entertainment website Showbiz 411 that he would reprise his Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice role as Batman's butler in the Justice League film. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film has already started production in London and is scheduled to be released in the United States in November, next year. Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill and Gal Gadot are expected to come back as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, respectively. They will be joined by Jason Momoa (Aquaman), Ray Fisher (Cyborg) and Ezra Miller (The Flash). – The National

New album from Chris Brown?

R&B singer Chris Brown, whose latest album Royalty was released in December last year, announced plans for a new album. He initially revealed on Instagram that his eighth solo release would be called Heartbreak on a Full Moon, according to aceshowbiz.com. Brown also said the first single from the album would be released on Thursday. The post, however, has since been removed from his page without a stated reason. The Wrist singer didn't give a release date for the album. – The National

Oprah Winfrey to star in HBO film

Oprah Winfrey is set to star in HBO Films' upcoming adaptation of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, according to people.com. The 62-year-old has long been involved with the project, adapted from Rebecca Skloot's 2010 book of the same name. The media mogul signed on as an executive producer when the book's film rights were acquired in 2010, and the network announced on Monday that she will star in the biopic and be co-executive producer along with Skloot and True Blood creator Alan Ball. The movie, set to begin filming this summer, centres on the true story of Henrietta Lacks, an African-American woman whose cervical cancer cells were used, without her knowledge, to create the first immortal human cell line, HeLa, in 1951. The story is told from the perspective of Winfrey's character, protagonist Deborah Lacks, who explores how the unlicensed harvesting of her mother's cancerous cells led to unprecedented medical breakthroughs. – The National

PETA slams Bieber for photo with a chained tiger

Peta is up in arms over Canadian pop star Justin Bieber’s photos showing him posing with a chained tiger at his father’s engagement party. In a statement to E! News, the organisation’s senior vice president Lisa Lange said the star was lucky he didn’t have his throat torn out by the stressed captive animal. She said tigers used for photo opportunities are torn away from their mothers shortly after birth and urged people not to participate in such photo ops. Bieber has not responded to Peta’s statement. – The National

Cate Blanchett appointed Goodwill Ambassador

Academy-Award winning actress Cate Blanchett has been named a global Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Refugee Agency. The announcement comes following Blanchett’s return from Jordan, where she witnessed the humanitarian operation for people displaced by the conflict in Syria. The actress met Syrian refugee families and heard about the perilous journeys they had undertaken and the daily challenges they face. “I am deeply proud to take on this role”, said Blanchett. “There has never been a more crucial time to stand with refugees and show solidarity. We are living through an unprecedented crisis and there must be shared responsibility worldwide. It feels like we’re at a fork in the road, do we go down the compassionate path or do we go down the path of intolerance? As a mother, I want my children to go down the compassionate path. There’s much more opportunity, there’s much more optimism and there is a solution down that path.” For more than a year Blanchett has been working with UNHCR to raise awareness about people who have been displaced by force. Last year, as part of UNHCR’s #IBelong Campaign, she met Syrian refugees in Lebanon. She has also supported World Refugee Day, UNHCR’s appeal for the Europe refugee crisis, and attended the Women in the World Conference in New Delhi to represent UNHCR and moderate a panel discussion on the global refugee crisis. – The National