In a sharply worded op-ed published Monday, actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming, and Benedict Wong called on the UK government to block the proposed merger between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery, arguing the deal would cripple competition, eliminate jobs, and concentrate media power in ways that harm the industry and audiences alike.
The three performers, who have deep ties to British film and television, warned that consolidation has already taken a heavy toll. “We have watched, with growing alarm, what consolidation does to the breadth and depth of the work we produce: independent film acquisitions at the leading independent film festival Sundance fell by half between 2019 and 2025,” they wrote.
They also highlighted how award-winning documentaries—Oscar winners and festival darlings—have struggled to find distribution because their topics proved inconvenient for the shrinking pool of buyers. “Every merger of this kind narrows the funnel through which stories can reach audiences,” the actors added.
The $110 billion tie-up between Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery would, according to the op-ed, lead to “redundancies, cancelled productions, fewer films commissioned and fewer risks taken.” The actors described the merger as an attempt by Paramount Skydance to “swallow” its rival, a move that would further consolidate an already concentrated industry.
The trio applauded UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy for signaling she is “minded” to intervene, noting her concerns about media plurality. Nandy has said she may ask regulators to review the merger after 12 U.S. states filed an antitrust lawsuit to block it. The merger remains on hold pending those legal challenges.
“She is correct to investigate this major threat to the UK’s public interest. And she will not be acting alone,” the actors wrote. “Nandy has opened the door to intervention. She must walk through it, for the sake of everyone who makes UK television and film – and everyone who watches it.”
The op-ed comes amid a broader debate over media consolidation and its impact on cultural output. The actors warned that without action, the industry would lose its “ability to protect” itself from further concentration of power. Their intervention underscores growing unease among creative professionals about the long-term health of the UK’s film and TV sector, which relies on a diverse ecosystem of producers, distributors, and broadcasters.
As Nandy weighs her next steps, the pressure is mounting. The actors’ call echoes similar warnings from industry groups and lawmakers who fear that a merged Paramount-Warner Bros. entity would wield outsized influence over what stories get told—and which ones don’t.
