The producer of the upcoming independent movie about Steve Jobs has spoken about the plans for the film, and the reasons for choosing Ashton Kutcher as its star.
Jobs: Get Inspired (working title) was first thought of when Steve Jobs resigned from Apple in August 2011.
“On the day that his retirement was announced… I noticed that the buzz about his retirement consumed our creative and IT staff for the entire day. I had never seen anything like that reaction. That was the spark. We immediately began researching and writing the screenplay,” said the film’s producer, Mark Hulme, in an interview with Neowin.net.
The movie will focus on the early years of Apple, from 1971 – 2000, Hulme revealed. This is one of the reasons Hulme believes Ashton Kutcher is the right man to play the role of Steve Jobs.
“Since our film covers the early years of Apple, when jobs was in his 20’s, we needed an actor who could carry not only the youthfulness of Jobs at the time but also the psychological complexity. Because of that, and Ashton’s physical similarities to Jobs, he’s perfect for our film,” said Hulme.
“When Ashton read the script he was immediately attracted to the project. He is a Steve Jobs and Apple fan and is technologically savvy, as well, so he recognised the historical importance of Steve Jobs and the potential of the project. He is very excited to have the role.”
Sony is also planning a movie about Steve Jobs’ life, based on Walter Isaacson’s best selling authorised biography of Jobs. When asked whether he is worried about this competition, Hulme said: “Sony is a highly respected company, and Isaacson’s book is a great read. But our project was in development even before the release of Isaacson’s book, and our movie will be out well before their movie.”
“We have purposed for the movie to be an accurate and inspirational portrayal of his fascinating life and the huge impact he had on the world, so yes we expect his family and friends to appreciate it,” added Hulme.
The film will be filmed in Los Angeles, and is set to be released towards the end of 2012.
Despite Hulme’s confidence in Jobs: Get Inspired, Cult of Mac has published five reasons why it thinks the film will be terrible.
The first reason, says the report, is that the movie will be Hulme’s first venture into the film industry. He is the founder of Five Star Institute, a publishing, marketing, communications, and conference production company, which specialises in mortgages.
Second, Cult of Mac thinks that the period of 1971-2000 will make the film too similar to the Pirates of Silicon Valley, a 1999 film also about the life of Steve Jobs.
Third, the film has been written by Matt Whitely, and is his first screenplay. The director, Joshua Michael Stern is also not well known. His most famous movie, Swing Vote, which starred Kevin Costner, was a box office flop. And his 2005 film, Neverwas, skipped cinemas altogether and went straight to DVD.
Fourth, the working title, Jobs: Get Inspired, is not very inspiring at all.
Finally, Cult of Mac points out that the film probably won’t we critical of Jobs, and will be produced to commemorate his life instead.
We’re holding off judgement until the film’s release later in the year.
Author: Ashleigh Macro, Head of Affiliate
Ashleigh is Tech Advisor's Head of Affiliate. Providing expert buying advice you can trust is her forte, helping you to find the most reputable consumer tech products and services, and ensuring you don't spend a penny more than you should.