The independent film about late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs is scheduled to hit theaters in April, the film’s creators announced Thursday. Titled and stylized “jOBS,” the film was first announced to the public last April and stars That 70s Show and Two and a Half Men actor Ashton Kutcher as Mr. Jobs.
“jOBS” is a separate project from the larger and more commercialized efforts of writer Aaron Sorkin, who is writing the script for another film about the Apple founder to be distributed by Sony. That film, which does not yet have a release date, is rumored to be focused on a few key “scenes” from the life of Mr. Jobs, with details provided by his biography, which was penned by Walter Isaacson in 2011.
“jOBS” examines a much larger swath of Mr. Jobs’ life, from his youth before founding Apple until the company’s resurgence upon his return in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including his forced departure from Apple, founding NeXT, and funding the creation of Pixar. Some may recall that this timeline is very similar to that of the 1999 made-for-TV film Pirates of Silicon Valley, although without the additional storyline focusing on the founding of Microsoft.
The film was initially scheduled to be shown at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival later this month, but the creators were able to strike a deal for a broader release.
Principal photography of the film began last June, with some scenes shot inside the Jobs family’s original home in Los Altos, California. Since then, several images have leaked or been released by the film’s creators, showing Mr. Kutcher and others in period attire.
Other actors portraying key individuals in Mr. Jobs’ life include Matthew Modine as John Sculley, Josh Gad as Steve Wozniak, Kevin Dunn as Gil Amelio, and James Woods as Jack Dudman, the Dean of Students at Reed College who formed a unique bond with Mr. Jobs and even bailed him out when Mr. Jobs’ infamous “blue boxes” drew the attention of the FBI. “jOBS” is directed by Joshua Michael Stern and Produced by Mark Hulme.
As mentioned above, the film will show three times during this month’s Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah before its broader release in April, although the exact scope of distribution is not yet known.
Image via Sundance.
[via CNET]