Guy Pearce told journalists in attendance at the Venice Film Festival on Tuesday that he heard media mogul Rupert Murdoch was “very happy” the actor was cast to play him in director Danny Boyle’s new film, “Ink.”
Boyle’s latest, an adaptation of James Graham’s stage play of the same name, explores how Murdoch reshaped the British newspaper world when he acquired the then-failing tabloid publication The Sun in 1969. Together with editor Larry Lamb, Murdoch used populist, far-right language and media strategies to turn The Sun into a formidable force in Britain.
Murdoch then used many of the strategies he applied to reinvent The Sun to turn Fox News, The New York Post and the rest of his U.S.-based media empire into the force it is today. Pearce plays Murdoch in “Ink,” which also stars Jack O’Connell (“Sinners”) as Larry Lamb and Claire Foy (“The Crown”) as Jules Davies, an amalgamation of the female executives who worked at The Sun.
“I had some messaging with Elizabeth [Murdoch], his daughter, and she said, ‘Dad’s very happy that you are playing him,’” Pearce said at a Venice press conference, further noting, “He hadn’t seen the film at that point.”
Boyle, for his part, said he tried to make sure that he did not “monsterize” Murdoch in “Ink,” explaining: “He represented at the time [a] breath of fresh air in what was a very rigid British society. It begins with something that’s fun and different, challenging a rigid order.” The “28 Years Later” filmmaker added, “It was important to us that the audience feels complicit.”
Graham, who penned the screenplay for Boyle’s adaptation, said Murdoch attended at least two performances of his original “Ink” stage play.
“He came to see the play twice,” the writer revealed. Graham, however, stated he never heard Murdoch’s opinion. “He’s very good at not giving anything away, which I think is one of his secrets.”
Boyle added that he believes “Ink” is not just a period piece but an exploration of “the modern world” and how many of the media strategies that have shaped the current moment were first introduced and perfected. The filmmaker went on to emphasize the importance of journalism that “speaks truth to power,” labeling it “one of great uprights of any civilization” and warning of the dangers facing the profession right now.
“The danger with the tech giants, obviously [is that] they’ll be able to have an AI journalist who’s much more efficient, lot cheaper, etc.,” Boyle said Tuesday. “Will that AI journalist speak truth to that power that’s created it? That’s going to be very, very tough.”
Netflix also dropped the first trailer for the film on Wednesday.
“Ink” is set to hit select theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 11 before premiering Jan. 8, 2027, on Netflix.
