Just weeks after Christian Bale dropped out of the Aaron Sorkin-penned Steve Jobs biopic as lead actor, and a month after Leonardo DiCaprio walked away from the project, it’s been reported that an even bigger player has now decided to withdraw – Sony Pictures.
That’s right, the studio producing the flick has reportedly just ditched it, though according to The Hollywood Reporter the precise reason for its unexpected decision isn’t altogether clear.
Despite the surprise development, Sorkin’s script still has a chance of coming to life at some stage – Universal is apparently showing a strong interest in the project “with an eye on next year’s awards season,” the Reporter said.
Although director Danny Boyle is thought to still be on board, and Seth Rogen in place to play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, the movie lost Christian Bale as the lead at the start of the month. Michael Fassbender has reportedly agreed to replace Bale, but until Universal or another studio steps in to save the day, nothing can any longer be said for certain.
The film, which is believed to be at the final stages of pre-production, is an adaptation of the Walter Isaacson-penned biography that came out soon after Jobs’ death in 2011.
Scriptwriter Sorkin, who also wrote The Social Network (2010) about Facebook’s early days, has previously said that his Jobs movie will revolve around three set pieces, each one linked to a famous Apple product launch.
Since Jobs’ death three years ago, several movies have had a shot at telling the story of the Apple co-founder. These include last year’s Jobs starring Ashton Kutcher, and a ropey comedic effort by the Funny or Die folk, but neither were much of a hit with movie fans.
Hopefully we can expect more with Sorkin’s effort. If it ever gets made.
