Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’ Acquired by Netflix For 2026 U.S. Release

Fresh off being announced as the opening-night film of the upcoming Venice Film Festival, Danny Boyle’s “Ink” has landed a major distribution deal that will now firmly set it up for U.S. release this year.

Netflix has acquired the U.S. rights to the film, which chronicles the early years of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire. Starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce, and Claire Foy, “Ink” will world premiere in competition on September 2, serving as the curtain raiser for the 83rd edition of the Venice Film Festival.

This likely means Netflix will release “Ink” this year, no doubt with an awards campaign mounted behind it—unless the film gets outright panned at Venice, which seems unlikely, especially with acclaimed playwright James Graham having written the screenplay, based on his own play.

Kicking off in 1969, “Ink” follows Rupert Murdoch (Pearce) and Larry Lamb (O’Connell) as they launch a newspaper that would go on to change the world. Against all odds, the two men created a new tabloid that became the biggest-selling newspaper in the world—reshaping the media landscape and ushering in the modern era of news.

As it stands, Netflix has two major warhorses for awards season: “La Bola Negra,” acquired out of Cannes, and, of course, David Fincher’s “Cliff Booth,” which may or may not live up to the hype—we still don’t know much about that film. Now “Ink” enters the picture, and we’ll find out just how good it is when it screens six weeks from now on the Lido.

Studiocanal still retains the international rights to “Ink,” including territories such as the U.K., France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Benelux, Australia, and New Zealand.

A few months ago, I reported that, following the underperformance of the latest instalment, ‘The Bone Temple,’ and with Sony hesitant to greenlight another sequel, Netflix was interested in acquiring the rights to finance the third and final chapter of ‘28 Years Later.’ Is today’s news an indication that a partnership might be brewing? It’s possible.

Boyle is coming off the strong reviews “28 Years Later” garnered in the summer of 2025, and “Ink” seems to mark his return to baitier awards material. His 30-year career has seen him direct such films as “Shallow Grave,” “28 Days Later,” “Trainspotting,” “127 Hours,” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”