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No joke: Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic
- speg 15y agoHe does have the hair of a young Jobs.
- davej 15y agoA 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.
- dlf 15y agoHe 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/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005110/
- deleted 15y ago[deleted]
- justanotheratom 15y agoChristian Bale.
- pygorex 15y agoNoah Wyle
- nchuhoai 15y agoyes!
- cpeterso 15y ago(That was a joke because Noah Wyle already played Jobs in Pirates of Silicon Valley.)
- cantbecool 15y agoI don't think his comment was in jest. There isn't another actor that would select to play the role of Jobs. Regardless if he already played the part. Ashton, however, has higher appeal to the masses compared to Noah, which will ultimately create a higher probability of a box office success.
- philwelch 15y agoI think Noah Wyle would present the Dean Cain problem: he's an actor who's suited to the role, but because he's a TV actor who actually played the role in a low-budget TV production, anyone making a major motion picture would want to get someone "better". This, among other things, is why "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" veteran Dean Cain was never seriously considered to appear in a Superman movie, unlike A-list "talent" like Nicholas Cage or (not even joking) Will Smith.
- rhizome 15y agofunny. 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 15y agoNote that this isn't the large Sony production with Aaron Sorkin attached, but another indie film.
- nirvana 15y agoWow. 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 15y ago
- gramsey 15y agoNothing 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 15y agoI thought Kutcher was pretty good in The Butterfly Effect.
- phaus 15y agoHe 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.
- crag 15y agoAnd what makes you think this movie won't portray Steve Jobs as a demigod? I'd be surprised if the movie "Job" has a mean side.
- bproper 15y agoRight man for the Jobs?
- pirateking 15y agoHopefully 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 15y ago>in true Steve form So with DRM and other ridiculous restrictions? No thanks.
- mhartl 15y agoI have a (non-sarcastic) prediction: Kutcher will be excellent in the role.
- wisty 15y agoLook 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 15y agoWhat? I thought Jason Long had that role nailed! :-)
- georgemcbay 15y agoYou probably mean Justin Long.
- quangv 15y agothis gotta be an April's Fools Joke!
- quangv 15y agoactually, the more I think about it, maybe they needed someone young...
- malkia 15y agoGalifanakis as the Woz himself (not much look alike, but still... )
- padobson 15y agoSneider 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 15y agoThis is because even with the authorized biography there still isn't good source material for after his return.
- user0398 15y agoThis has definitely been the single worst HN thread of all time.
- uhs 15y ago"No joke" editorializes the title. HN is supposed to be neutral.
- dlf 15y agoBut that is the actual title. I think it's meant to defuse the notion that it's an April Fool's joke.
- voodoochilo 15y agoi hope joe pesci plays woz!
- sliverstorm 15y agoI bet Woz would make a pretty convincing Woz
- JohnnyFlash 15y agoSeems like a good match. The first 1/4 of Jobs autobiography read a bit like "Dude Wheres my Car"
- elliottkember 15y agoI saw Kutcher in "Personal Effects", a serious role - I think he'll be great.
- tomelders 15y agoFor me, this role has to go to the greatest actor of his age. Christian Bale.
- navs 15y agoI'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 15y agoIt'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.