I. Deal Overview
Netflix's "Ink" is an adaptation of James Graham's stage play of the same name, which was previously Tony-nominated, with Graham himself adapting his own script for the screen. The film tells the true story of how Rupert Murdoch acquired the failing tabloid The Sun in 1969 and turned it into the starting point of a tabloid empire. Guy Pearce plays a young Murdoch, Jack O'Connell plays editor Larry Lamb, and Danny Boyle directs.
The film premiered as the opening night title at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, where it's also competing in the main competition lineup for the Golden Lion. It will go on to screen at Telluride, Toronto, and other festivals before a theatrical release on December 11, followed by a Netflix debut on January 8. The Venice premiere was warmly received by audiences, and the film currently holds a 92% score on Rotten Tomatoes and 80 on Metacritic.
By October 8, will "Ink"'s Rotten Tomatoes critics' score remain above 90%?
II. Production Background: The Team's Track Record
Director Danny Boyle already has an Oscar for Best Director, along with a Best Picture win, for "Slumdog Millionaire," a film that took home eight Oscars and seven BAFTAs in total. His "127 Hours" also picked up six Oscar nominations.
Writer James Graham adapted his own stage play for the screen. To avoid the material feeling too stage-bound and lacking in cinematic quality, Boyle looked to two prior successful stage-to-film adaptations as references: "Amadeus," which won Best Picture, and "Dangerous Liaisons," which took home three Oscars and received a Best Picture nomination.
On the cast side, Guy Pearce recently earned his first Oscar nomination for "The Brutalist." Jack O'Connell was part of the ensemble that won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Cast for "Sinners." Claire Foy has an Emmy for "The Crown."
As for the producing team, Tessa Ross previously produced "Conclave," a film that turned a $20 million budget into $128 million at the box office and went on to earn eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, along with 12 BAFTA nominations — the most of any film that year. It marked her first Oscar nomination as a producer, and stands as evidence that her team is capable of turning a mid-budget project into a major awards-season contender.
III. A Reference Point
According to a Variety analysis, there's a recent precedent worth noting: "One Night in Miami" (2020). That film similarly saw its writer, Kemp Powers, adapt his own stage play, and it likewise launched at the Venice Film Festival. It ultimately earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, while star Leslie Odom Jr. received an acting nomination as well.
Guy Pearce's recent Oscar nomination for "The Brutalist" — this time, he's expected to be positioned in a different category, potentially Best Actor — lends some credibility to this awards push, given that recognition from the Academy is still fresh. The film's below-the-line work is also considered competitive: production design by Carson McColl and Gareth Pugh recreated a version of Fleet Street that no longer exists, which could become an additional point of recognition.
IV. Current Signals: Early Buzz Still Building
From Venice to Telluride, Variety reports that the film continued to generate positive reactions during its run at the Telluride festival — the kind of momentum a Netflix awards campaign is built to amplify.
That said, the current 92% score is based on a relatively limited sample of reviews from the Venice premiere. Whether it holds at a similarly high level once a broader pool of critics weighs in at Telluride and Toronto remains an open question.
