UK stars join the fight to stop the Paramount-Warner Bros mega-merger

Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming, and Benedict Wong are calling on the British government to step in and stop a massive media merger

Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming, and Benedict Wong are calling on the British government to step in and stop a massive media merger. They believe the deal could seriously damage the country’s entertainment industry.

The three actors co-wrote an opinion piece for the Guardian, warning readers about the potential fallout from the merger. They urged immediate action to prevent it from going through. The well-known performers argued that the merger poses a serious threat to the public, describing its consequences as deeply harmful to people across Britain.

Their intervention follows similar pushback from actors in Hollywood, adding British voices to the growing opposition against the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery. The trio emphasized their long-standing ties to the UK’s creative industry, noting decades spent collaborating with British crews on British stages and film sets. They framed their involvement as a natural extension of their responsibility toward audiences who support and enjoy their work.

According to the actors, the merger threatens nearly 180,000 jobs within the UK’s entertainment sector. It also puts billions of pounds in annual production spending at risk. They described the situation as one where intervention could still make a difference, calling it a battle that can still be won if action is taken soon.

The piece also referenced recent comments from UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, who has hinted she might take formal steps to intervene in the deal. The actors suggested that Nandy’s potential involvement represents one of two major fronts in the broader fight to stop the merger. They called any decision from her department potentially one of the most consequential moves affecting British film and television in years.

Towards the end of their piece, the trio acknowledged that actors are typically expected to steer clear of legal and regulatory debates. However, they pushed back against that expectation, explaining that their years spent working alongside British crews, watching talented homegrown productions struggle to secure funding, gave them a personal stake in the outcome.

Their public stance adds significant star power to the growing resistance against the merger. Industry figures on both sides of the Atlantic continue voicing concerns about its potential impact on jobs, cultural output, and the broader landscape of film and television production in the UK.