Benedict Cumberbatch urges UK to block Paramount-Warner deal
Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong say the $111bn merger threatens UK screen jobs and news plurality.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
Benedict Cumberbatch has joined Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong in a public push against the Paramount-Warner deal, urging the UK government to block the $111 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery by Paramount.
The three actors made the case in a Guardian opinion piece, calling on Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to step in and order a fuller examination of the merger. They warned that the deal could damage Britain’s film and television business and concentrate too much news power in one company.
Nandy has already told Parliament that she is “minded to intervene,” according to Deadline, but has not yet made a final call on whether to send the transaction to a full public interest investigation. A decision is expected after Parliament returns from its summer recess in September.
Can the UK block the Paramount-Warner merger?
A UK intervention would allow ministers to examine whether the merger serves the public interest, including its effects on media plurality and the screen industry. Deadline reported that the UK system is non-suspensory, meaning the deal could technically close without British clearance, although David Ellison has intended to respect the UK process.
In their Guardian piece, Cumberbatch, Cumming and Wong said Nandy had created an opening for government action and argued she should use it. They wrote that failing to intervene would leave the UK with less power to defend its industry and culture from consolidation.
The actors said they were worried about the possible effect on the “livelihoods of thousands of workers” in the UK. They also pointed to the proposed company’s control of 5 News, CNN International and CBS News as a central concern.
They argued that one owner holding that level of news influence would pose risks beyond a standard media merger. They also cited a report that Paramount’s chief executive told Donald Trump he would make “sweeping changes” to CNN if the transaction succeeded, saying such a claim gave a British minister reason to ask questions before approval.
Deadline reported that Paramount had been contacted for comment.
Where does the deal stand now?
The merger received regulatory approval in the European Union last week, according to Deadline. The transaction was then delayed until June 2027, or until shortly after lawsuits brought by state attorneys general and the Writers Guild of America are resolved on their merits.
That pause changes the pressure on Nandy’s timetable. Deadline reported that the UK once looked as if it could become a major obstacle to Paramount meeting a September 30 closing deadline, but the new delay makes the British decision less decisive in the immediate race to close.
Cumming had already spoken out against the merger before the Guardian piece. Earlier this month, Deadline reported, the Traitors host appeared in a video for a coalition called Block the Merger UK, which asked people to contact the Department for Culture, Media and Sport or Ofcom and request closer scrutiny of the deal.
The actors framed Nandy’s pending decision as a major test for British film, television and media policy. Their argument is direct: the merger should face UK intervention before a Hollywood consolidation reshapes what British audiences watch and who controls key news outlets.
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.