Ashton Kutcher has already had a go at it, and it looks like the next person to play Steve Jobs on the big screen could be Christian Bale — at least if David Fincher gets his way. The Social Network director is said to be in talks to direct Sony’s take on the life of the late Apple CEO, and insider rumors suggest he’ll only sign up if Bale gets the starring role.
All of these murmurings come courtesy of an exclusive scoop in The Wrap, which quotes “an individual familiar with the project” (there are always one or two of them around). “Fincher recently met with Sony’s Amy Pascal to discuss the possibility of directing the film, and told her, in no uncertain terms, that he’d only take the reins of the project if Bale plays Jobs,” claims The Wrap. Pascal and Fincher previously worked together on The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and American Hustle for Sony.
What we do know about the movie is that Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) is writing the screenplay, based on the best-selling authorized biography of Jobs written by Walter Isaacson. The film will be split into three extended scenes, focusing on the Mac, the NeXT and the iPod respectively. Shooting on the project is expected to begin in late 2014 or early 2015.
As for Christian Bale, he’s currently taking a break after finishing work on Ridley Scott’s Exodus — according to The Wrap he’s not currently attached to any movies actively in development. Neither Bale nor anyone else involved in the project would give an official comment on the rumors.
Open Road’s Jobs biopic, which opened in April 2013, found little favor with critics or audiences. In our own review, we described it as a “conventional and safe” movie that fell some way short of the standards set by The Social Network. Sony will be hoping that its own take proves more of a hit, and Fincher and Bale could be the combination to make that happen.
[Image courtesy of cinemafestival / Shutterstock]
