Hollywood
Joel Edgerton to play Ramses in Ridley Scott’s ‘Exodus’
MUMBAI: Joel Edgerton is in talks to star opposite Christian Bale in Ridley Scott’s Biblical epic Exodus
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The actor, who cemented his in-demand status after a series of high-profile roles including Zero Dark Thirty and The Great Gatsby, would play the Egyptian ruler Ramses in the 20th Century Fox film that is moving toward a September start date. Bale is onboard to portray Moses.
Exodus will shoot in Spain, Morocco and England.
The project had picked up steam earlier this year when Steve Zaillian came aboard as scribe. Adam Cooper and Bill Collage penned a previous draft.
Peter Chernin, who bought the project as a pitch, is producing alongside Scott. Both Chernin and Scott are based at Fox, as is Zaillian and Garrett Basch’s film rights.
Edgerton, whose credits include the critically acclaimed crime drama Animal Kingdom, broke out in Gavin O’Connor’s 2011 MMA drama Warrior. He recently stepped into O’Connor’s Jane Got a Gun opposite Natalie Portman. The Aussie actor also is onboard to star opposite Michael Shannon in Jeff Nichols’ sci-fi film Midnight Special at Warner Bros.
Hollywood
UK watchdog CMA to probe Warner Bros-Paramount merger deal
Phase 1 review to assess competition risks as industry voices opposition
LONDON: The Competition and Markets Authority is set to launch a preliminary investigation into the proposed $110 billion merger between Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount, marking the first formal regulatory step in assessing the deal’s impact on competition.
The UK watchdog has initiated a consultation process with industry stakeholders, inviting comments until April 27. This phase, known as a Phase 1 review, will evaluate whether the merger could harm competition across the film and television sectors, both of which play a significant role in the UK economy.
“We expect to launch our phase 1 investigation in the coming weeks,” said Competition and Markets Authority spokesperson, in an emailed statement to Reuters. “The film and TV industries contribute billions to our economy, so it’s important we assess whether deals between studios may harm competition.”
The proposed transaction, which also involves Skydance Media, would bring together two of Hollywood’s largest studios, combining extensive content libraries and potentially reshaping the global entertainment landscape.
Following the initial assessment, the regulator will decide whether to escalate the matter to a more detailed Phase 2 investigation, which typically involves deeper scrutiny of market dynamics and competitive risks.
The deal is already facing growing resistance from within the creative community. More than 1,000 industry professionals, including Jane Fonda, Mark Ruffalo and Ben Stiller, have publicly opposed the merger, warning it could reduce opportunities, limit storytelling diversity and place further strain on an industry still adjusting to rapid change.
As regulators begin to weigh the implications, the proposed merger is shaping up to be a defining test of how far consolidation can go in a media industry already in flux.
