Rupert Murdoch is apparently “very happy” that he’s being played by Guy Pearce in Danny Boyle’s “Ink.”
“Ink,” which opens the 83rd Venice Film Festival on Wednesday night and is competing for the Golden Lion, takes place in 1969 as Murdoch acquires the struggling Sun and installs Larry Lamb (Jack O’Connell) as editor with the mission of overtaking its dominant rival, the Daily Mirror.
“I remember he was very good at sort of not really giving anything away,” Graham said of Murdoch’s reaction. However, he remembers him enjoying a particular sequence that showed the printing press and “the dirt and the steam and the filth that used to go into making a paper on a daily basis.”
“Ink” marks Boyle’s first appearance at the Venice Film Festival. The Oscar-winning director arrives on the Lido following his return to the zombie franchise he helped create with “28 Years Later.” His credits also include “Trainspotting,” “127 Hours,” “Steve Jobs” and “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won eight Oscars, including best picture and best director.
Netflix acquired U.S. and Latin American rights to “Ink” shortly after it was announced as Venice’s opening film. Studiocanal, which produced the movie with Media Res and House Productions, is releasing it theatrically across several territories including the U.K., France, Germany and Italy.
Boyle produced “Ink” with Tessa Ross, Michael Ellenberg and Tracey Seaward. The film reunites Boyle and Ross after their collaboration on “Slumdog Millionaire.”
