Director Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” which was just announced to open the Venice Film Festival, has a new moniker.
Netflix has acquired the U.S. and Latin American rights to the film, which stars Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy and depicts the early days of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, which planted its flag in Britain. The film will have its world premiere in competition in Venice on September 2, opening the 83rd film festival.
Based on a stage play written by Tony Award nominee James Graham (Dear England, Sherwood), Ink is produced by Studiocanal, Media Res, and House Productions, and reunites Academy Award winner Boyle and Slumdog Millionaire executive producer Tessa Ross.
The film, set in 1969, tells the story of how Murdoch and tabloid editor Larry Lamb founded The Sun. O’Connell stars as The Sun editor Lamb, while Pearce plays Murdoch. Foy will play Jules Davis.
“Long before Fox News, clickbait and Truth Social, and decades before Twitter, Facebook and Google & Only Fans, these two founded a new tabloid that, against all odds, became the world’s best-selling newspaper,” Boyle said. “Cheeky, irreverent, bold: The sky-high sun challenged the establishment and reshaped our world for modern times.”
As further detailed in the official logline, “Ink” is “an explosive cinematic roller coaster about a group of visionaries and misfits with ideas for a new kind of news: one that gives people what they want and changes the face of the world we live in today.”
Boyle will produce alongside Ross (“Conclave,” “Zone of Interest”) and Michael Ellenberg (“The Morning Show,” “Pachinko”). Tracy Seaward (The Two Popes, Philomena) will also produce. Studiocanal’s Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Joe Naftalin are executive producers alongside Tonia Davis, Zoe Edwards, Graham and Sudie Smyth. Media Res selected Graham’s play, directed by Rupert Gould.
The Netflix deal was handled by WME Independent and StudioCanal.
Studiocanal will handle global sales and will release the film theatrically in its territories in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and New Zealand. With the entry of Netflix, “Ink” is now available in all regions around the world.
