Danny Boyle Examines The Sun's Rise in New Film Ink

British director Danny Boyle is bringing the early rise of Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire to the screen in Ink, a film that examines the influence of tabloid journalism and its historical controversies. Speaking at a screening in Manchester ahead of the film's planned release next year, Boyle said the production addresses The Sun's coverage of the Hillsborough disaster while exploring the newspaper industry's development and its relevance to modern media.

The film stars Guy Pearce as media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Jack O'Connell as editor Larry Lamb and Claire Foy as a reporter. According to the BBC, Ink is scheduled to stream on Netflix next year and portrays the newspaper during a period of significant change in British journalism.

Boyle, an Oscar-winning filmmaker from Bury, said the film does not avoid examining the newspaper's reporting on the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which Liverpool football fans were falsely blamed for the tragedy in a notorious headline titled 'The Truth'.

Boyle described the headline as "one of the darkest days in publishing history" when discussing the newspaper's treatment of the disaster.

Inquests concluded in 2016 that the 97 victims of Hillsborough were unlawfully killed and that Liverpool supporters had not caused the deadly crush. The newspaper's coverage remains a significant part of the controversy surrounding its history.

Explaining his decision to make the film, Boyle pointed to similarities between the newspaper environment of that period and today's online media landscape, which he characterized as a "clickbait world". He also described Fleet Street during the era depicted in the film as a "riveting piece of British history".

Speaking to BBC North West Tonight, Boyle emphasized that the production confronts the newspaper's record rather than overlooking its most controversial episodes.

"The Sun and the people who produced that headline and that coverage will never live that down, nor should they," Boyle said.

He also said the film addresses other major controversies associated with British media, including phone hacking and the case involving Milly Dowler. The production examines Murdoch early in his career and considers how characteristics associated with his later legacy were already emerging.

Boyle characterized the production as a "truthful depiction" of Murdoch at the beginning of his career, adding that "the traits of what eventually became the legacy are there for people to see".

His comments also acknowledged the newspaper's mixed record, distinguishing its journalistic talent from its serious editorial failures.

"It clearly wasn't a bad newspaper. It was written by a lot of very brilliant people. It made some terrible mistakes and they're pointed out," Boyle said.

The BBC said it had approached The Sun for comment on the film and Boyle's remarks.

Boyle discussed the project during a career interview at HOME in Manchester, where he serves as a patron. The event formed part of the London Film Festival and marked the first time the festival had held one of its high-profile career interviews outside London.

Boyle said he was proud to participate and expressed hope that the festival would organize more events of this kind outside the capital. Ink is scheduled for release next year, with Netflix set to stream the film.