Ashton Kutcher reportedly cast as Steve Jobs for indie biopic
Actor Ashton Kutcher has been cast to play late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in an independent film about his growth from "wayward hippie" to entrepreneur, according to a new report.
Variety's Jeff Sneider reported on Sunday that Kutcher, who plays Walden Schmidt on "Two and a Half Men," will portray the executive in the film, reportedly entitled "Jobs." Joshua Michael Stern is said to direct the movie.
Though the news was quickly dismissed by some as an April Fool's Day prank, Sneider repeatedly claimed on Twitter that it was a legitimate story.
The film is expected to cover the founding of Apple, Jobs' ousting from the company and his return. Sneider said he had heard that it would not depict his "later years."
Kutcher himself is heavily involved in the technology industry. He is a prominent investor in a number of Internet startups and is an active presence on Twitter. The similarity in his appearance to the young Steve Jobs had been previously noted, prompting early speculation that he might be eventually be cast as Jobs.
Left: Ashton Kutcher, Right: Steve Jobs in 1977, via Hollywood Reporter | Credit: Getty Images.
The Hollywood Reporter added in its own report that "principal photography" will begin in May while Kutcher was on break from "Two and a Half Men." Matt Whiteley reportedly wrote the script for the film.
Sony Pictures is also reported to be producing a movie about Jobs based on his biography by Walter Isaacson. Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for "The Social Network," is said to be seriously considering work on the film. Actors George Clooney and Noah Wyle are rumored to be in contention for the role of Jobs in the film. Wyle previously portrayed Jobs in a 1999 movie "Pirates of Silicon Valley" about the fierce rivalry between Apple and Microsoft.
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Comments
Please God, NO! Let it be an April Fool's gag because I'd much rather have Charlie Sheen or ANYONE else than Ashton Kutcher. ANYONE!
I don't like Ashton Kucher at all, but I think the casting is perfect. He has just the right amount of arrogance and not caring what anyone else thinks.
If Sony's going to make their Steve Job movie, then why shouldn't somebody else make an indie movie about Steve Jobs also? That increases the chances of one of them being good. I have my doubts about the Sony movie, since it seems like they're trying to hire the writer from the Social Network, and I'm not really interested in seeing a boring Social Network 2.
I wouldn't be surprised if I like the indie movie better than the big studio movie, but I'll reserve final judgement until I have seen them both.
? isn't going to reprise his role.
?
This better be a lie. Though it IS Sony, after all.
This better be a lie. Though it IS Sony, after all.
You read it wrong. There's going to be two separate Steve Jobs movies coming out now.
Don Knotts has been lined up to play Bill Gates and Tarzen's old chimp sidekick was penciled in to play Steve Ballmer. What with Gadaffi dead, they have yet to find anyone evil enough to play Google's CEO.
I don't like Ashton Kucher at all, but I think the casting is perfect. He has just the right amount of arrogance and not caring what anyone else thinks.
I agree. He'll be perfect for the role but will he pull it off. This might be defining for his career to really nail the image of Steve Jobs.
You read it wrong. There's going to be two separate Steve Jobs movies coming out now.
This is idiotic. Why do we need two of them?
Look, all we need is a "Pirates of Silicon Valley II" equivalent, depicting Steve from ousting (yes, show the ousting) through Pixar and NeXT and then ending with him dropping the i from the iCEO title (so it shows the great stuff post-Apple revive at the end of the 90s and the early naughties).
And then when Noah's a little older (read: not before 2018 at the earliest) and it can be done tastefully, a "Pirates of Silicon Valley III" equivalent that shows Steve from returning as CEO to his resignation (yes, not death).
Really what I want to see is Noah Wyle playing an older Steve Jobs on a cell phone to Schmidt at Burning Man. "YOU'RE STEALING FROM US?!" If they mirror the first movie properly, it'll be a powerful scene.
I think Noah Wyle would be the best person to play Steve Jobs.
[Noah Wyle image]
Ah, even with a beard? Just salt it up a little and give him the Lennon glasses?
This is idiotic. Why do we need two of them?
Look, all we need is a "Pirates of Silicon Valley II" equivalent, depicting Steve from ousting (yes, show the ousting) through Pixar and NeXT and then ending with him dropping the i from the iCEO title (so it shows the great stuff post-Apple revive at the end of the 90s and the early naughties).
And then when Noah's a little older (read: not before 2018 at the earliest) and it can be done tastefully, a "Pirates of Silicon Valley III" equivalent that shows Steve from returning as CEO to his resignation (yes, not death).
Really what I want to see is Noah Wyle playing an older Steve Jobs on a cell phone to Schmidt at Burning Man. "YOU'RE STEALING FROM US?!" If they mirror the first movie properly, it'll be a powerful scene.
But do you trust Sony to do the right thing? Maybe their movie will be good or maybe it will suck.
I see having two movies as a good thing.
2) I'd be shocked if anyone on this site would need "Left: Ashton Kutcher, Right: Steve Jobs" to tell who's who.
Well, they both have a history of humiliating people...and there's always the magic of make-up!
My issue with the choice is with the voice, speech patterns and mannerisms of Jobs that we all know very well since he was a showman. Maybe Kutcher can pull it off but I have yet to see Kutcher speak in a way that wasn't his normal speaking voice.
I wouldn't be surprised if I like the indie movie better than the big studio movie, but I'll reserve final judgement until I have seen them both.
That would be a smart move I guess. I mean, it would be hard to do otherwise, right?
My issue with the choice is with the voice, speech patterns and mannerisms of Jobs that we all know very well since he was a showman. Maybe Kutcher can pull it off but I have yet to see Kutcher speak in a way that wasn't his normal speaking voice.
I hope the way he spoke in 'Punked' was not his normal speaking voice.
He can't even pull off a good 2 and a Half Men replacement, IMO.