Guy Pearce in Talks to Star as Rupert Murdoch in Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’

Guy Pearce in Talks to Star as Rupert Murdoch in Danny Boyle’s ‘Ink’

Guy Pearce, who is coming off his recent Oscar nomination, is circling a starring role as media mogul Rupert Murdoch.

Pearce is in talks to lead director Danny Boyle‘s movie Ink, which is set to center on Murdoch’s path to power. The film from Studiocanal, Media Res and House Productions also has Jack O’Connell eyeing a role as Larry Lamb, the late editor of The Sun.

Boyle helms the film from a script by James Graham, who adapted his play of the same name that opened in London in 2017. In his 2019 review for The Hollywood Reporter of the Broadway run that earned two Tonys, critic David Rooney wrote that the play “has undeniable currency in the era of Brexit and Trump.”

Ink is set in 1969 and centers on Murdoch acquiring struggling newspaper The Sun and hiring Lamb to run it. The film’s team is planning to begin shooting in October.

Boyle, Tessa Ross, Michael Ellenberg, Tracey Seaward and Tonia Davis serve as producers on the movie.

Pearce was nominated at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony for his supporting role in The Brutalist. His forthcoming features include The Woman in Cabin 10 and The Dog Stars.

O’Connell has had a big year, having played memorable roles in Sinners and the Boyle-directed 28 Years Later. His next projects include 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Godzilla x Kong: Supernova.

Boyle most recently directed 28 Years Later, the latest installment in the franchise that launched with his original 2002 film, 28 Days Later. Sony released 28 Years Later in June — starring Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ralph Fiennes and O’Connell — and the film surpassed $150 million at the global box office.

Deadline was first to report on the movie adaptation of Ink.