Benedict Cumberbatch urges UK government to block ‘disastrous’ Paramount-Warner Bros. merger

Benedict Cumberbatch has joined the growing opposition to the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger. He is calling on the UK government to step in before the deal moves any further.

Cumberbatch co-wrote an op-ed published Monday in The Guardian. He was joined by actors Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong. The piece is titled “A TV and cinema calamity could be disastrous for what you watch and what you know. Act now to stop that.”

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In the article, the three actors argue the merger threatens to inflict serious harm on the British public. They say the deal could damage jobs, reduce competition, and concentrate too much power in too few hands.

The actors wrote that they have spent their careers working on British sets with British crews. Because of that, they said they feel a responsibility to speak up on behalf of the public that supports their work.

Their case against consolidation

Cumberbatch, Cumming, and Wong pointed to real numbers to back their concerns. They noted that independent film acquisitions at Sundance, one of the leading festivals for independent film, fell by half between 2019 and 2025.

They also pointed to award-winning documentaries that struggled to find distribution. Some of these films had won Oscars or topped festival juries, yet still could not find buyers. The actors argued this happened because the material touched subjects that the shrinking pool of distributors found inconvenient.

Their broader point was that every merger like this one narrows the path through which stories reach audiences.

A direct message to the culture secretary

The op-ed was addressed directly to Lisa Nandy, the UK’s Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. Nandy has said she is considering whether to launch a full public interest investigation into the merger.

The actors praised her for being open to intervening. They wrote that her decision could be one of the most important choices any culture secretary has made for UK film and television.

They urged her to follow through, writing that she has already opened the door to intervention and now needs to walk through it.

The CNN concern

The op-ed also raised concerns tied to news coverage, not just entertainment. The actors referenced reports that Paramount’s chief executive had promised sweeping changes at CNN if the merger goes through.

They argued that when the buyer of one of the world’s most trusted international news channels makes promises tied to editorial direction, it raises serious questions about press independence.

Where the merger stands

The Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger is a $110 billion deal that has faced resistance on multiple fronts. Last week, the European Commission approved the merger, though it came with certain conditions attached.

In the United States, the deal is facing a much tougher road. Twelve states, led by California, have sued in federal court to block the merger. Those states argue the deal would raise prices, shrink the number of films made, and lower the overall quality of what audiences get to see.

As of Friday, Paramount agreed to delay the merger until after an antitrust trial plays out. The deal may not close until 2027, depending on how the various legal challenges are resolved.

Not the first celebrity pushback

Cumberbatch and his co-writers are not the first entertainment figures to speak out. Alan Cumming had already been vocal about his opposition before this op-ed. Earlier this month, he shared a video supporting a campaign called Block the Merger UK, which encourages the public to contact government officials and regulators directly.

The Writers Guild of America has also raised objections as part of the broader legal pushback against the deal.