Filmmaker Danny Boyle has said he struggled to fund his film about media tycoon Rupert Murdoch and newspaper editor Sir Larry Lamb. The film, starring Jack O’Connell, Guy Pearce and Claire Foy, is based on the James Graham play about the rise of The Sun newspaper following a partnership between the two media executives in 1969.
Funding difficulties revealed
Boyle, 69, known for Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, said during a BFI London Film Festival industry forum event that he found it “very difficult to raise the money” for the film. Speaking to Matt Belloni for his podcast The Town, he said: “We managed to get the money off StudioCanal but they didn’t give us enough money. They were brave. Whereas a lot of people wouldn’t give us the money.”
“Then StudioCanal hooked up with Netflix and bought it for America. They’ve been really good partners because you can imagine there are pressures.”
Concerns over platforming
When asked to elaborate, he added: “If somebody does come along with a story about Zuckerberg or about Apple, are they going to be platformed on their platforms, which will be the only ones we’re receiving news through or independent opinion on?”
“I don’t know how it works, but I know we struggled.” He suggested that studios might have been reluctant to finance the film because it was based on a stage play. “If you’re being polite, you could say it’s because it was a stage play, and therefore people think stage plays usually don’t work on on film. I contend that they can do.”
Use of AI in filmmaking
The director also discussed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in filmmaking and that he tries to use it “sparingly” on his projects. He said: “It’s a part of the toolbox that the visual effects companies use now. It just is. We used it very sparingly and we were very careful to make sure we didn’t replace anyone.”
One example where he used AI in his upcoming film was to superimpose former prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s face onto an actor’s. The filmmaker said the decision to show the real former prime minister rather than an impersonator was “very important” to him and that he did not ask her estate for permission.
He said: “It’s documented that she used to visit his office, Larry Lamb’s office, late at night after the edition had gone out, and they drank whisky together. And she did organise his night tour. I don’t think the estate of people like Margaret Thatcher, should have control over our ability to insist on ideas in art about what her influence was on our lives. So that was very important to me.”
Ink will be released in UK cinemas in January 2027.
