Netflix Buys Danny Boyle’s Rupert Murdoch Movie and Venice Opener ‘Ink’

Having just been announced as the Venice Film Festival curtain raiser, Danny Boyle‘s “Ink” has found a new nome.

Netflix has acquired the U.S. and Latin American rights to the film — about the early years of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire as he planted a flag in the U.K. and starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy. The film will world premiere in the Venice competition on Sep 2, opening the 83rd edition of the festival.

Based on the Tony-nominated stage play by James Graham (“Dear England,” “Sherwood”), who wrote the screenplay, “Ink” was produced by Studiocanal, Media Res and House Productions, reuniting Academy Award winner Boyle with his “Slumdog Millionaire” exec producer Tessa Ross.

Set in 1969, the film charts the story of how Murdoch and tabloid editor Larry Lamb launched “The Sun,” newspaper. O’Connell stars as “The Sun” editor Lamb with Pearce as Murdoch. Foy plays Jules Davies.

“Long before Fox News, click bait, and Truth Social; decades before Twitter, Facebook, Google & Only Fans, these two men created a new tabloid which against all the odds became the biggest selling newspaper in the world,” said Boyle. “Cheeky, Irreverent, daring: The super soaraway Sun challenged the establishment and remade our world for the modern era.”

As the official logline further details, “Ink” is as “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.”

Boyle produces with Ross (“Conclave,” “Zone of Interest”) and Michael Ellenberg (“The Morning Show,” “Pachinko”). Tracey Seaward (“The Two Popes,” “Philomena”) also produces. Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern, Joe Naftalin of Studiocanal are exec producers alongside Tonia Davis, Zoe Edwards, Graham and Sudie Smyth. Media Res optioned Graham’s play, which was directed by Rupert Goold.

The Netflix deal was handled by WME Independent and StudioCanal.

Studiocanal handled worldwide sales and will release the film theatrically in their territories of the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia and NZ. With Netflix now on board, “Ink” has sold in all territories worldwide.