Actors Benedict Cumberbatch, Alan Cumming and Benedict Wong have escalated their campaign against the proposed Paramount–Warner Bros. Discovery merger in a new Guardian op-ed, framing the fight as now running on "two fronts": UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy's decision on whether to intervene, and a US legal challenge. They note that Paramount, now controlled by Larry Ellison, has agreed over the weekend not to close the $111 billion (£87 billion) deal until a US court rules on whether it breaches antitrust law, but argue this legal battle "cannot do the UK's work for it" and that Nandy's choice could be one of the most consequential decisions taken by a UK culture secretary in a generation.

The trio, who describe the merger as "dangerous", again cite risks to British film and TV crews, independent production financing and the potential loss of Channel 5 to Hollywood ownership, invoking colleagues at studios such as Leavesden. They also point to the fact that the European Union has already conditionally approved the merger, stressing that the EU's decision is separate from the UK's and does not pre-empt it. Nandy has previously said she is "minded to intervene" and remains in post following a reshuffle under new prime minister Andy Burnham, while 12 US states led by California are separately suing to block the deal in federal court.