Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch is reportedly “very happy” that compatriot Guy Pearce is portraying him in Danny Boyle’s biographical film Ink, according to comments made by the actor at the Venice Film Festival. The film, which explores Murdoch’s late-1960s acquisition of The Sun, opened the festival in competition for the Golden Lion.
The Bottom Line
- The Event: Danny Boyle’s biopic Ink premiered at the Venice Film Festival, starring Guy Pearce as a young Rupert Murdoch and Jack O’Connell as The Sun editor Larry Lamb.
- The Source Validation: Pearce revealed at a festival press conference that Murdoch’s daughter, Elisabeth Murdoch, told him her father was “very happy” with the casting choice.
- The Creative Lens: Director Danny Boyle emphasized that the film avoids turning Murdoch into a cartoonish villain, instead framing his disruptive entry into British print media as a cultural shift.
Inside the Venice Premiere of Danny Boyle’s Tabloid Origin Story
The cinematic lens is finally turning toward the formative years of one of the twentieth century’s most polarizing media architects. Ink, directed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle, held its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival, thrusting the complex early business life of Rupert Murdoch back into the international spotlight. Adapted from James Graham’s acclaimed stage play which ran in the West End and on Broadway between 2017 and 2019, the feature film zeros in on the pivotal year of 1969. During this period, a young Murdoch purchased a struggling The Sun and installed Larry Lamb—played by Jack O’Connell—as editor with a singular mandate: overthrow the dominant market leader, the Daily Mirror, through an aggressive blend of sex, sport, and scandal.
Yet, before the red carpet lights had even dimmed on the Lido, the most intriguing narrative came from off-screen communications. Speaking to reporters at the festival’s press conference, Guy Pearce addressed whether he had engaged with the billionaire mogul during pre-production. While Pearce confirmed he had not spoken directly to Murdoch, he revealed that communication channels with the family yielded an unexpected endorsement. According to Pearce, messaging with Murdoch’s daughter, Elisabeth Murdoch, brought reassurance: “Dad’s very happy that you’re playing him.” Pearce added the necessary caveat that Murdoch had not yet seen the finished cut at the time of the exchange.
Reframing the Tycoon Beyond the Fictional Tropes
Audiences accustomed to ruthless, fictionalized avatars of media dynasties—most notably the cruel patriarch Logan Roy in HBO’s series Succession—might approach a Murdoch biopic anticipating a thorough takedown. But the creative team behind Ink charted a surprisingly nuanced path. Boyle, a filmmaker whose left-wing political leanings are well-documented, argued during the press conference that his film “doesn’t monsterize Rupert Murdoch, which of course a lot of people do now.” Instead, Boyle chose to examine the historical reality of Murdoch’s arrival in a rigid British media landscape that viewed the Australian publisher with deep-seated prejudice.
“I think it’s because he represented at the time a breath of fresh air in what was a very rigid British society,” Boyle told the press, pointing out a shared disdain for the traditional British establishment. Playwright James Graham, who adapted his own Tony-winning theatrical text for the screen, noted that Murdoch was already familiar with the material, having attended performances twice during its West End and Broadway runs. While Graham observed that Murdoch characteristically kept his cards close to his chest during those theatrical viewings, the mogul reportedly took visible pleasure in sequences capturing the industrial grit of the trade—specifically the printing press mechanics, steam, and filth required to produce a daily newspaper.
Production Scale and the Streaming Afterlife
The commercial rollout of Ink reflects the shifting realities of modern prestige distribution. Produced by Studiocanal alongside Media Res and House Productions, the feature secured significant global distribution before its festival bow. Netflix moved quickly to snap up U.S. and Latin American streaming rights shortly after the project was confirmed as Venice’s opening title, ensuring that a property exploring legacy print media will find its primary audience via digital platforms. Meanwhile, Studiocanal is handling theatrical distribution across major European territories, including the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Director | Danny Boyle |
| Key Cast | Guy Pearce (Rupert Murdoch), Jack O’Connell (Larry Lamb), Claire Foy |
| Source Material | Stage play by James Graham (West End / Broadway, 2017–2019) |
| U.S. / Latin America Distribution | Netflix |
| Theatrical Territories (U.K., Europe) | Studiocanal |
For Boyle, Ink marks another high-profile turn following his return to the zombie franchise he helped create with 28 Years Later. It also reunites the director with producer Tessa Ross, recapturing the collaborative energy that yielded eight Academy Awards—including Best Picture and Best Director—for Slumdog Millionaire. By grounding the narrative in the grimy mechanics of late-sixties Fleet Street rather than modern digital anxieties, Ink positions itself as an old-fashioned character study of ambition, class warfare, and the relentless machinery of the tabloid press.
As the film navigates its festival run and prepares for its broader release, the real question is how contemporary audiences will respond to a portrait of a media titan that avoids easy villainy. Do you think a sympathetic exploration of a polarizing figure like Murdoch can succeed in today’s cultural climate, or are viewers too attached to darker portrayals like Succession? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
