Although Jack O’Connell is reportedly no longer in the running for the coveted James Bond role, he is stepping into another highly competitive awards season with his portrayal of The Sun editor Larry Lamb in Danny Boyle’s Ink.

A fresh trailer for the biographical drama has been released ahead of its arrival in UK and Irish cinemas on January 8.

O’Connell stars alongside Guy Pearce, who takes on the role of Australian-born media mogul Rupert Murdoch. Their characters share a dynamic that unfolds into a pas de deux, ultimately reshaping the news landscape into what it is today.

In 1969, Murdoch bought the struggling daily newspaper The Sun and brought in Lamb as its editor. Under their leadership, the publication was reshaped into a tabloid, becoming a highly profitable operation.

Ink is based on James Graham’s 2017 stage play, with Graham also adapting the story for the film’s screenplay. Claire Foy (The Crown) plays Jules Davies, an additional character created as a composite of several women who worked in the industry during that period.

The cast also includes Brian Gleeson, Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners), Patrick Kennedy, Angus Imrie, Jonathan Hyde and Bertie Carvel (Doctor Foster).

O’Connell is currently considered a “top-tier contender” for the Oscars’ Best Actor race, alongside Timothée Chalamet for this December’s Dune: Part Three and Aaron Taylor-Johnson for Robert Eggers’ upcoming Werwulf.

The film made its debut at the Venice International Film Festival, where it received largely positive reviews.

One critic described Ink as “Citizen Kane by way of Trainspotting”, with Bilge Ebiri calling it Danny Boyle’s strongest film in decades, even placing it ahead of titles such as 28 Years Later and Steve Jobs. “It’ll infuriate many,” he added, “but it might also be a masterpiece.”

Robbie Collin also offered a positive assessment, writing: “In its own down-at-heel, whisky-breathed, nicotine-fingertipped way, Ink might be Britain’s belated answer to Mad Men, in which a nation’s self-image is lucratively remade in an office by men with a hotline to their customers’ innermost selves, and entire racks of axes to grind.”

O’Connell’s performance has also attracted particular attention from critics. One review highlighted his ability to bring the character to life, noting: “O’Connell, who’s at his best playing gritty chancers with a point to prove, is such a naturally charismatic and unvarnished presence that we find ourselves oddly sharing in his competitive zeal.”

Ink will arrive in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, January 8, 2027.

Source: Various