No joke: Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic

http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/01/ashton-kutcher-steve-jobs-biopic/

by dlf • 14 years ago

76 46 14 years ago

speg• 14 years ago

He does have the hair of a young Jobs.

davej• 14 years ago

A predictable casting because of the physical similarities to young Jobs and Kutcher's obvious personal interest in tech.

Has Kutcher played many serious roles successfully though? I thought he did well in Butterfly Effect, but I can't recall him in a single other serious film.

dlf2• 14 years ago

He was pretty convincing in The Guardian, which was as serious as I've ever seen him. There may be others: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005110/

justanotheratom• 14 years ago

Christian Bale.

pygorex• 14 years ago

Noah Wyle

nchuhoai• 14 years ago

yes!

cpeterso• 14 years ago

(That was a joke because Noah Wyle already played Jobs in Pirates of Silicon Valley.)

rhizome• 14 years ago

funny. recently while watching "limitless," apropos of nothing i noted that bradley cooper would be a good choice if there ever needed to be another jobs.

beggi• 14 years ago

Note that this isn't the large Sony production with Aaron Sorkin attached, but another indie film.

nirvana• 14 years ago

Wow. While people like to paint Steve Jobs as sort of a one dimensional character ("Pirates of Silicon Valley" is a good example) he's actually fascinating in large part, I think, because he's really an enigma-- clearly brilliant and has accomplished so much, while being such an iconoclast. This is why attempts to portray him one dimensionally (like the book behind this movie, for instance) fail so miserably. People instinctively know he didn't create greatness simply by running around and being an asshole or lying to everyone.

This is the kind of role, that if handled by an actor with serious chops (and lets face it, I think about %50 of that is going to be having a good director) it could be a career making role with an oscar award attached.

While I like Kutcher as a person, respect his support for startups, I also recognize he's more of a social media celebrity, whose got comedic timing, but hasn't yet shown (or maybe had the opportunity to show) significant dramatic chops. Its quite possible he's got them, and he's suffered from being type cast. (Remember how Demi broke the mold by playing GI Jane... but then that also seemed to end her career.)

Sometimes unexpected actors can do great-- Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July was a surprise to me, but I credit Oliver Stone for that one. The other example I can think of is Woody Harrelson in Natural Born Killers.

Harrelson's previous career was on TV as the good guy midwesterner kid, but Oliver Stone said "I saw something evil in his eyes."

I really don't think of Ashton Kutcher as having the necessary chops for this role (and the source material is itself so half assed and shallow that the project is starting from behind already.) This runs a very real risk of being of TV Movie-of-the-week quality.

I hope they get a great director and some serious work on the script, and that Kutcher dedicates himself to the role.

I'd love to see a biopic of Steve Jobs as on the nose as Val Kilmer's portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors. (Which is another Oliver Stone movie, but I promise you I'm not obsessed with Oliver Stone, he just handles this kind of material really well.)

Edit- I missed the part that this isn't based on Isaacson's work. So, whether the source material will be week (like almost everything written about Jobs since he didn't give people a lot of access) or not is open to question.

Also, as dlf notes, Kutcher was in The Guardian where he played a dramatic role, and did a damn fine job. I'd forgotten about that movie... But that convinces me that Kutcher has the potential to do a brilliant Jobs performance. Lets just how the script is good and the director is strong.

starpilot• 14 years ago

Kutcher was probably chosen in large part because he looks a good bit like the young Jobs: http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2012/04/ashton-kutcher-.... For better or for worse, physical resemblance seems to be a large determinant in who is cast to play characters based on real people, not whether their previous acting would fit the target persona. Look at Social Network or any historical film for more evidence. They try to match up visages because that is what's obvious to filmgoers.

(Months ago, a techie friend mused to me that young Steve Jobs did look like Kutcher, so the casting isn't a total shock.)

dereg• 14 years ago

If resemblance was a major factor then they'd bring back Noah Wyle.

mitjak2• 14 years ago

Another example is Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I strapped myself for another grimace filled ride, but Jim absolutely shattered all my expectations and prejudices with his tenderness and onscreen chemistry with Kate Winslet.

... and then built them right back up again by starring in a series of inane flicks immediately after.

peteretep• 14 years ago

This was exactly the example I was going to post. If Jim Carrey can pull an amazing dramatic performance out of nowhere, I don't see why Ashton can't.

RyanMcGreal• 14 years ago

It's always a pleasure to see a screwball actor flourish on being cast outside type. Here are a few more examples:

* Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction

* Robin Williams in One Hour Photo

* Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish

* Bill Murray in Broken Flowers

gramsey• 14 years ago

Nothing against Mr. Kutcher of course, but I seriously question his ability to play this character. This is a serious role with serious emotions and serious responsibility, and I'm not sure if Kutcher has the resume or the ability to pull off Steve Jobs.

As justanotheratom notes, Christian Bale would probably be a much better choice. Not solely because of the fact that Bale is a far more accomplished and critically-acclaimed actor, but because he seems like he could really do well in Steve Job's role. I just can't see Ashton Kutcher in an argument with a young Bill Gates or explaining principles of design to early investors. He just hasn't proven that he's able to really own a complex character.

Strallus• 14 years ago

I thought Kutcher was pretty good in The Butterfly Effect.

phaus• 14 years ago

He was great in The Butterfly Effect, but the role was pretty much perfect. He's excellent at playing nice, slightly dopey characters. I think that he could capture the hippie side of Jobs, but I'm not sure if he can act mean enough.

bproper• 14 years ago

Right man for the Jobs?

pirateking• 14 years ago

Hopefully the distribution of this indie version will be unconventional and disruptive - in true Steve form. Even better if that leads to it outshining the Sony Pictures version.

slowpoke• 14 years ago

>in true Steve form

So with DRM and other ridiculous restrictions? No thanks.

mhartl• 14 years ago

I have a (non-sarcastic) prediction: Kutcher will be excellent in the role.

wisty• 14 years ago

Look at Leonardo Dicaprio - people wrote him off as a pretty boy who could only do romance. He ended up a regular collaborator with Scorsese (and occasionally slummed it with guys like Spielberg).

Kutcher could be a similarly underrated typecast actor.

He's obviously pretty sharp, and I'd guess he's got a good work ethic. All he really needs is a lot of research into the part, which is really ease with Steve Jobs - tons of books, interviews, presentations, etc.

WalterBright• 14 years ago

What? I thought Jason Long had that role nailed! :-)

georgemcbay• 14 years ago

You probably mean Justin Long.

quangv2• 14 years ago

this gotta be an April's Fools Joke!

quangv2• 14 years ago

actually, the more I think about it, maybe they needed someone young...

malkia• 14 years ago

Galifanakis as the Woz himself (not much look alike, but still... )

padobson• 14 years ago

Sneider later tweeted that he’s been hearing the film will follow Jobs’ story up until his return to Apple in the ’90s, but won’t focus on his later years. Production is scheduled to begin in May.

What a waste. This story has been chronicled in countless ways. The latter years are those that need new perspective.

The Sony-Sorkin piece will likely be watching everyone involved looking for potential reprisals.

ary• 14 years ago

This is because even with the authorized biography there still isn't good source material for after his return.

user0398• 14 years ago

This has definitely been the single worst HN thread of all time.

uhs• 14 years ago

"No joke" editorializes the title. HN is supposed to be neutral.

dlf2• 14 years ago

But that is the actual title. I think it's meant to defuse the notion that it's an April Fool's joke.

voodoochilo• 14 years ago

i hope joe pesci plays woz!

sliverstorm• 14 years ago

I bet Woz would make a pretty convincing Woz

JohnnyFlash• 14 years ago

Seems like a good match. The first 1/4 of Jobs autobiography read a bit like "Dude Wheres my Car"

elliottkember• 14 years ago

I saw Kutcher in "Personal Effects", a serious role - I think he'll be great.

tomelders• 14 years ago

For me, this role has to go to the greatest actor of his age. Christian Bale.

navs• 14 years ago

I've always thought of Steve Jobs as the Batman of Apple. Intelligent, driven and abrasive.

All conjecture because I've never met the man :(

bane• 14 years ago

It's not a bad choice if you consider he looks a little like a young Jobs and the "Butterfly Effect" showed he can be a superb actor given the right vehicle.

No joke: Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic

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