VENICE — Danny Boyle’s film 'Ink' will open the 83rd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2026. The film, which dramatizes Rupert Murdoch’s 1969 acquisition of the British newspaper 'The Sun,' will also screen in the festival’s competition section, vying for the prestigious Golden Lion award.

Directed by Boyle and adapted from James Graham’s play of the same name, 'Ink' features Guy Pearce as media magnate Rupert Murdoch and Jack O’Connell as Larry Lamb, the editor of 'The Sun' at the time of its transformation under Murdoch’s ownership. Claire Foy co-stars in the film, which traces how the revamped tabloid rose to become the biggest-selling newspaper in the world. Boyle described the tabloid’s impact in sweeping terms, saying, “The super soaraway Sun challenged the establishment and remade our world for the modern era.”

Boyle expressed enthusiasm about the film’s premiere at Venice, calling it a personal milestone. “I’ve been to the Biennale many times, but this is my baptism at the film festival – a huge honor to be in a city of such extraordinary art and opening this great festival with my new film ‘Ink,’” he said. He added historical context to the film’s narrative, stating, “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.”

The screenplay was written by James Graham, who originally penned the stage version of 'Ink.' The play opened in London in 2017 and later transferred to Broadway in 2019, where it won multiple Tony Awards. Graham noted that the themes of the work predated recent political upheavals but reflected broader societal shifts. “I started writing this way before Trump, way before Brexit. But I knew I wanted to capture what was clearly in the air about populism,” he said in a 2017 statement.

The 83rd Venice International Film Festival will run from September 2 to September 12, 2026. Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera thanked the production companies StudioCanal, Media Res, and House Productions for allowing 'Ink' to open the event. The full slate of films competing for the Golden Lion is expected to be announced in the week following July 16, 2026.

'Ink' enters the competition at a major international film festival with a story rooted in media history that its creators link to contemporary issues of populism and digital-era journalism. The film’s selection to open Venice—a festival known for launching awards-season contenders—underscores its anticipated cultural and cinematic significance.

The narrative revisits a pivotal moment in British media when Murdoch and Lamb reshaped tabloid journalism, a transformation that Graham and Boyle frame as a precursor to modern media dynamics. By placing the film in competition at Venice, organizers signal its potential as both a historical drama and a commentary on enduring themes of power, influence, and public taste.