Leonardo DiCaprio has taken himself out of a planned Steve Jobs biopic from Sony and director Danny Boyle, I can only assume because he knew he’d never be able to compete with Ashton Kutcher’s incendiary performance in Jobs. Leonardo DiCaprio is a great actor, but those are steep odds for anybody. The planned biopic, written by Aaron Sorkin, based on the book by Walter Isaacson, now finds itself at a crossroads.
The actor, who had been in talks with Sony to play the late Apple Computer co-founder for director Danny Boyle, has bowed out to instead shoot The Revenant. But instead of making the untitled Jobs biopic right after, as had been hoped, DiCaprio has removed himself from the project altogether. Sources say after DiCaprio finishes The Revenant, which began shooting this week, he plans to take a lengthy break from acting.
Now with DiCaprio out, the studio is eyeing a number of actors to take on the iconic tech figure, who has been both worshipped and reviled. Christian Bale, whom Fincher wanted for the title role, is on Sony’s wish list, as is Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper (though Affleck seems unlikely given that he just signed on for the thriller The Accountant). [TheHollywoodReporter]
Maybe Idris Elba? I dunno, I’m trying to think of a casting choice that would make me interested in a biopic about a computer pioneer written by a guy who barely understands email. How many Newsroom plots revolved around autocorrect, or Sorkin discovering the concept of a list serv? “Steve Jobs: Ya Think? Different,” written by Aaron Sorkin.