Mere days after several reports - including the film's screenwriter - confirmed actor Christian Bale was set to portray Steve Jobs in Sony's upcoming biopic about the Apple CEO, it appears Bale has had a change of heart.
The Hollywood Reporter has claimed Bale withdrew his name from the lead. He apparently deliberated after experiencing conflicted feelings and ultimately came to the conclusion he was not "right for the part". Last week, Aaron Sorkin, the film's screenwriter who also penned The Social Network, told Bloomberg TV that Bale was playing Jobs.
Bale was the automatic choice to play Jobs, according to Sorkin. He said the actor, perhaps best known in more recent times as Batman, didn't even have to audition, because Bale was the first name on a very short list: "We needed the best actor on the board in a certain age range and that’s Chris Bale. He didn’t have to audition," Sorkin said.
Seth Rogen was also being considered to play Steve Wozniak, co-founder of Apple, opposite Bale as Jobs, though it's unclear if Rogen is still in the running now that Bale is out. It's further been reported that Jessica Chastain is being considered for a role too. It's also worth noting that DiCaprio had been previously tipped to play Jobs.
The upcoming film is being directed by Danny Boyle, and the whole thing is being based on the famous authorised biography by Walter Isaacson. Sorkin has publicly said his Jobs movie will be divided into three long scenes, with each scene focusing on notorious Apple product launches like the first Macintosh in 1984 and the 2001 debut of the iPod.
Filming was expected to begin in the next couple of months.
READ: Christian Bale didn’t have to audition for Steve Jobs role