On April Fool’s Day, we were hit with the news that Ashton Kutcher was set to play iconic Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in an upcoming indie biopic. The internet exploded, as some people thought it was a joke. Those that accepted the reality of the situation had mixed feelings. While some scoffed at the casting choice, others pointed out Kutcher’s striking resemblance to a young Jobs in saying that it might be a good decision.
Personally, I think Kelso can totally pull it off, but that’s just my opinion. Steve Wozniak thinks he can too, by the way.
Casting debates aside, we now have a little bit more information on the film, thanks to Neowin’s interview with the producer, Mark Hulme.
First off, he revealed that the decidedly uninspiring working title of the movie is Jobs: Get Inspired. When we first heard the news, the film was simply called Jobs. We’re hoping that this working title isn’t an indication of the quality of the film.
We also knew that the film would focus heavily on Steve Jobs’ early years, but we didn’t know to what extent. According to Hulme, Jobs: Get Inspired will mostly leave out the iPhone/iPad revolution and stick to 1971-2000.
He sites Kutcher’s physical similarity to a young Jobs as a factor in the casting:
Since our film covers the early years of Apple, when Jobs was in his 20’s, we needed an actor who could carry not only the youthfulness of Jobs at the time but also the psychological complexity. Because of that, and Ashton’s physical similarities to Jobs, he’s perfect for our film.
And as far as any competition with the other upcoming Steve Jobs biopic (the one based on the Walter Isaacson biography)?
Sony is a highly respected company, and Isaacson’s book is a great read. But our project was in development even before the release of Isaacson’s book and our movie will be out well before their movie.
The films is set to start shooting in May, and Hulme says that it will come out some time in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Do you have high hopes for the film? Think they should change that title? Let us know in the comments.