Paramount-WB merger: Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong urge UK to block deal

Paramount-Warner Bros. $111 billion merger: Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong urge UK to block deal, warn of job losses and fewer films Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have called on the UK government to block the proposed $111 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger, warning that the deal could cause "immense harm on the British public" by threatening jobs, independent filmmaking and media diversity.In a joint op-ed published in The Guardian, the actors urged UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to intervene in the blockbuster merger, saying Britain's film and television industry is at a critical moment.'We have a responsibility to the public'Explaining why they decided to speak out, the trio wrote, "As actors and public figures who have spent our careers in the arts in Britain — working with British crews, on British stages and sets — we have a responsibility to the public who support, enjoy and consume the art we make."Calling the merger a threat to the country's creative industries, they added, "The U.K. is being threatened by a media merger that would harm our workers, our culture and the public — but we can stop it."The actors...