No, you’re not getting punk’d. Of all the actors on the planet, Ashton Kutcher has been chosen to play the late Steve Jobs in the upcoming indie biopic simply titled “Jobs.” The film will reportedly focus on Jobs’ early days, as he shifted from being a “wayward hippie” to the co-founder of Apple. Considering the news’ proximity to April Fool’s Day, we understand if you’re still skeptical of the announcement. Variety was the first to break the news, and writer Jeff Sneider insists that it’s all true. “I will be posting a MAJOR story today that will seem like an April Fool’s joke but isn’t,” Sneider posted on his Twitter on Sunday.
“Jobs” will be the second film project in the works since the former Apple CEO passed away from pancreatic cancer less than six months ago, and will be produced and financed by Five Star Institute‘s Mark Hulme. Production on “Jobs” is set to start in May, once Kutcher is on hiatus from “Two and a Half Men,” with Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote“) set to direct from a script by newcomer Matt Whiteley. “I had the idea the day Jobs retired and I notice several IT and art directors at my company all in a buzz,” Hulme told TheWrap. “I was observing that day how distractive his retirement was to the marketplace and I knew in my heart that his story was the film I wanted to do. We started the research and writing of the script just a few days later and never looked back.” The project will be the first that Hulme has financed.
“Jobs” is not to be confused with the biopic Sony has in the works, which will be based on the biography “Steve Jobs” from Walter Isaacson. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was reportedly being courted to script the project last year, but we aren’t sure how his new HBO show, “The Newsroom” will affect his schedule. Whether or not Sorkin writes the script, we expect Sony to continue developing their biopic. It wouldn’t be the first time a couple films were released about the same subject, and with someone like Steve Jobs, there is a lot to say.
