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Boyle's Film Tackles The Sun's Darkest Publishing Hour
20 Oct
Summary
- Film will not shy away from The Sun's Hillsborough coverage.
- Hillsborough coverage is called 'one of the darkest days in publishing'.
- Movie draws parallels between newspaper's rise and today's clickbait world.
Filmmaker Danny Boyle stated that his new movie, focusing on the ascent of The Sun newspaper, does not avoid confronting its coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Boyle, an Oscar-winning director, characterized the infamous 1989 headline, 'The Truth,' which falsely blamed Liverpool fans, as "one of the darkest days in publishing history."
The film, scheduled for release on Netflix next year, features Guy Pearce as media magnate Rupert Murdoch. Boyle took on the project, despite acknowledging the "disgrace of Hillsborough," because he identified connections between the newspaper's growth and the contemporary "clickbait world." He viewed Fleet Street during that era as a "riveting piece of British history."
Boyle emphasized that the film provides a "truthful depiction" of Murdoch's early career, suggesting that the foundations of his later legacy are visible. He acknowledged that while The Sun employed "brilliant people," it made "terrible mistakes," which the film highlights. Inquests in 2016 confirmed that the 97 victims of the disaster were unlawfully killed and absolved Liverpool fans of responsibility for the crush.
