It has been announced that jOBS, the first of two biopics celebrating the life and career of the late Apple CEO Steve Jobs and starring Ashton Kutcher as the man himself, will be released in the US in April.

Its premiere is scheduled for 27 January, when the movie will close the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, but a US distribution deal with Open Road Films means that it will be on general release just after Easter. Distribution partners for other regions, UK included, are yet to be announced.

"We set out to find the perfect partners to present jOBS to audiences worldwide, and feel we have found one with Open Road," said producer Mark Hulme. "They were as impressed as we were with Ashton Kutcher's inspiring and unforgettable performance as Steve Jobs and are excited to distribute the picture in the US."

The film chronicles the "defining 30 years of Steve Jobs's life", from 1971 up to the creation of the first iPod, including his stints at NeXT and Pixar. It also stars Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Matthew Modine.

A second film, based on the best-selling biography by Walter Isaacson and written by The Social Network scribe Aaron Sorkin, is still to enter full production, and is not expected to be released this year.