Danny Boyle’s Rupert Murdoch movie ‘Ink’ to open Venice Film Festival
By AP, July 17, 2026A new film about the rise of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and “The Sun” editor Larry Lamb has been selected to open the Venice International Film Festival, organisers said Thursday.
Directed by “Trainspotting” filmmaker Danny Boyle, “Ink” is an adaptation of James Graham’s acclaimed play, which dramatises Murdoch’s 1969 acquisition of the daily newspaper “The Sun.”
Guy Pearce plays Murdoch, and Jack O’Connell plays Lamb in the film about how they turned the paper into Britain’s most influential tabloid. Claire Foy also co-stars.
“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,” Boyle said in a statement. The paper, he added, “challenged the establishment and remade our world for the modern era.”
A huge honour to be selected
Boyle said it was a huge honour to be selected, noting that, “I’ve been to the Biennale many times, but this is my baptism at the film festival.”
“Ink” will be playing in competition at the 83rd edition of the festival, which kicks off on September 2. The full slate of films vying for the Golden Lion is expected to be revealed next week.
The play opened in London in 2017, and went to Broadway in 2019, where it was nominated for, and won, multiple Tony Awards.
“I started writing this way before Trump, way before Brexit,” Graham told The Associated Press in 2017. “But I knew I wanted to capture what was clearly in the air about populism.”
The film explores the origins of modern tabloid journalism by showing how a powerful partnership changed the way news was produced and consumed. It examines the influence of the media on politics, public opinion and popular culture, while highlighting the lasting impact of newspaper ownership on society.
Through its story, the movie looks at how one publication helped shape a new style of journalism that continues to influence today’s media landscape. Its selection to open the Venice Film Festival signals strong recognition for the production and places it among the major films to watch this awards season.