Danny Boyle’s Ink is set to have its world premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, and Netflix has now acquired the U.S. and Latin American rights to the thriller, which follows the early years of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
The film is based on the Tony-nominated play by James Graham, who also adapted the screenplay. Per the description, Ink is “an explosive cinematic rollercoaster about a group of visionaries and misfits who had an idea for a new kind of news — one that would give the people what they want and would change the face of the world we live in today.“
Jack O’Connell (28 Years Later: The Bone Temple) and Claire Foy (The Crown) star, with Guy Pearce (The Dog Stars) playing Rupert Murdoch.
StudioCanal handled worldwide sales and will release the film theatrically in their territories of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia, and NZ.
Boyle said he “felt compelled and privileged” to make the film based on Graham’s script. “1969 – the year we first walked on the moon – and the year Rupert Murdoch and Larry Lamb launched a newspaper that was to change the world far more,” he said. “Long before Fox News, click bait and Truth Social; decades before Twitter, Facebook, Google and Only Fans, these two men created a new tabloid which against all the odds became the biggest selling newspaper in the world. Cheeky, irreverent, daring: The super soaraway Sun challenged the establishment and remade our world for the modern era.“
The film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 2.
Boyle directed 28 Days Later over twenty years ago, and he returned to the horror franchise with 28 Years Later. The film performed decently enough, but the sequel, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, was not a hit at the box office, despite earning rave reviews.
This has led some to wonder whether the third installment would actually happen, but Boyle told JoBlo earlier this year that the film will shoot in 2027.
“We ran out of time. Because it’s set in an area of Britain [where] you can only film at certain times of the year. We ran out of time this year – we literally ran out of time,” he said. “So it’ll be, hopefully, fingers crossed, next year. But there’s the enthusiasm there, and Alex [Garland] has done a wonderful script for it.“
Cillian Murphy briefly reprises his role of Jim in The Bone Temple, and it’s expected that he’ll take on a bigger role in the third movie. Another reason I hope it happens.