Benedict Cumberbatch sells major stake in his production company
Actor Benedict Cumberbatch has sold a major stake in the production company he co-founded, it has been revealed.
The Sherlock and Doctor Strange star set up SunnyMarch in 2013 alongside producer Adam Ackland.
Since then the business has made the likes of The Mauritanian, The Courier, The Roses, The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, and We Live in Time.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland each held 4,950 shares in SunnyMarch, according to filings with Companies House, while Studiocanal had 2,605 shares.
Malaysian company Kencana Capital also had a stake of 522 shares.
However, new filings with Companies House have revealed that both Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland no longer are classed as having significant control in the business.
A new firm has been set up, Sunnymarch Group Limited, which is owned by Lumina Studios Group.
Lumina Studios Group is registered as having a stake of between 25 per cent and 50 per cent in the business.
Benedict Cumberbatch and Adam Ackland are still listed as directors of SunnyMarch TV Productions, SunnyMarch Ltd and SunnyMarch Holdings.
Ackland said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Thomas and Lumina.
“This new venture allows us to expand the scale and ambition of our film and TV slates while continuing to be a home for the directors, actors and writers who share our appetite for bold creative swings and meaningful cinematic storytelling.”
Who now owns Benedict Cumberbatch’s firm?
It is not clear whether Benedict Cumberbatch or any of his fellow shareholders in SunnyMarch have retained a stake in the business.
Lumina Studios includes a number of production companies and is led by founder and chief executive Thomas Benski.
Benski said: “Benedict, Adam and Leah have built something remarkable at SunnyMarch, defined by creative courage, taste and work at the forefront of culture.
“This partnership gives them the autonomy and resources to scale their existing film and TV success while expanding into new formats, IP and partnerships that drive long-lasting enterprise value.
“For Lumina, it reinforces our mission to empower exceptional talent with ownership and agency as they shape their creative futures and capture the long-term value they generate.”
The business is headquartered in London and also has operations in Los Angeles, Paris and New York.
It is backed by several major shareholders including SVS Holding which was founded by producers Maris Savare and PJ van Sandwijk.
BFK, an investment vehicle owned by producer Magnus Rausing, is also a shareholder as well as Dorfman Media Group which is chaired by Sir Lloyd Dorfman, the founder of Travelex.
Lumina Studios’ founder Thomas Benski is also a shareholder in the group.
According to its latest set of accounts, for 2024, the group had net assets of £11.4m.
Benedict Cumberbatch is also a director of Red Brick Marketing and Painted Railings, a dormant company.