The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Christian Bale will not star at Steve Jobs in the upcoming biopic:
Just last month, the film’s writer Aaron Sorkin had stated that Bale would star as the Apple co-founder in the movie as Bale was “best actor on the board in a certain age range.”
Sources say Bale, after much deliberation and conflicting feelings, came to the conclusion he was not right for the part and decided to withdraw.
Bale had only been slated to play Jobs since mid-October, according to a Variety report, but filming was expected to begin in the spring of next year.
News of Bale’s parting with the project is just the latest in a series of changes with those involved in the film.
Earlier last month, Leonardo DiCaprio had reportedly dropped out of the same role in the same film (Bale was his replacement). DiCaprio had been reported to be playing the lead role in the Jobs biopic since April of this year.
The role of Jobs isn’t the only big name to be in flux throughout the film’s development. Director David Fincher was originally said to be directing the Sony-backed Jobs movie, but was rejected by Sony and said to be replaced by Danny Boyle. Interestingly, Christian Bale was apparently Fincher’s first pick for the film’s leading role.
Variety shared last week that Seth Rogen is expected to play the part of Apple’s other co-founder, Steve Wozniak, in the upcoming biopic.
The Sony-backed Jobs biopic, according to Sorkin, will portray three half-hour scenes before unveiling the Mac, NeXT, and iPod. This format differs from the previously released Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher in the lead role.
