On Monday, the much-anticipated Steve Jobs biography, the simply titled Steve Jobs, hit the bookshelves. As was expected, it’s been a hit so far and has rocketed up to the top spot on Amazon’s bestseller list. The interview with author Walter Isaacson that aired on 60 Minutes Sunday night grabbed impressive ratings, and the video of that interview was one of the most sought-after items on the web yesterday.
The point of all that is to say that people are incredibly interested in an in-depth, candid look at a man that led a life of relative privacy. And if you go by the early reviews (most of which are quite good), it looks like Isaacson delivers on that promise.
The fascination that people have with Steve Jobs since his death has not been lost on Sony Pictures, who have made a play for the rights to the book.
And according to the LA Times, Sony really wants Aaron Sorkin to pen the screenplay.
They say Sorkin is being courted by Sony to throw his pen behind the upcoming biopic, a move that is exciting if not completely unsurprising. Sorkin is one of Hollywood’s best writers, as is evidenced by his work on The West Wing, Sports Night, The American President and the recent Moneyball. And of course, he has a history writing movies about the tech world.
His Oscar-winning script for 2010’s The Social Network tackled Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, another highly complex giant of the industry.
But he did know Steve Jobs, which always complicates matters. And it’s entirely possible that he won’t want to dive into another Silicon Valley project. But considering the success of The Social Network, one can’t help wondering what Sorkin could do with the Steve Jobs character.
For a look at some of his best work, here’s a well-written scene from the all around well-written The Social Network:
What do you think? Would Sorkin be a good fit for the Steve Jobs biopic? Let us know in the comments.