

No joke: Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs in biopic  - dlf
http://venturebeat.com/2012/04/01/ashton-kutcher-steve-jobs-biopic/

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padobson
_Sneider 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
This is because even _with_ the authorized biography there still isn't good
source material for after his return.

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gramsey
Nothing 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.

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Strallus
I thought Kutcher was pretty good in The Butterfly Effect.

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phaus
He 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.

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crag
And 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.

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beggi
Note that this isn't the large Sony production with Aaron Sorkin attached, but
another indie film.

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mhartl
I have a (non-sarcastic) prediction: Kutcher will be excellent in the role.

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wisty
Look 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.

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davej
A 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.

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dlf
He 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/>

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pygorex
Noah Wyle

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nchuhoai
yes!

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cpeterso
(That was a joke because Noah Wyle already played Jobs in _Pirates of Silicon
Valley_.)

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cantbecool
I 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
I 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.

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uhs
"No joke" editorializes the title. HN is supposed to be neutral.

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dlf
But that is the actual title. I think it's meant to defuse the notion that
it's an April Fool's joke.

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justanotheratom
Christian Bale.

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pirateking
Hopefully 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.

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slowpoke
_> in true Steve form_

So with DRM and other ridiculous restrictions? No thanks.

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bane
It'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.

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speg
He does have the hair of a young Jobs.

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tomelders
For me, this role has to go to the greatest actor of his age. Christian Bale.

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navs
I've always thought of Steve Jobs as the Batman of Apple. Intelligent, driven
and abrasive.

All conjecture because I've never met the man :(

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elliottkember
I saw Kutcher in "Personal Effects", a serious role - I think he'll be great.

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malkia
Galifanakis as the Woz himself (not much look alike, but still... )

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rhizome
funny. 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.

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JohnnyFlash
Seems like a good match. The first 1/4 of Jobs autobiography read a bit like
"Dude Wheres my Car"

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WalterBright
What? I thought Jason Long had that role nailed! :-)

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georgemcbay
You probably mean Justin Long.

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quangv
this gotta be an April's Fools Joke!

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quangv
actually, the more I think about it, maybe they needed someone young...

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nirvana
Wow. 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.

~~~
mitjak
Another example is Jim Carrey in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I
strapped myself for another grimace filled ride, but Jim absolutely shattered
all my expectations and prejudices with his tenderness and onscreen chemistry
with Kate Winslet.

... and then built them right back up again by starring in a series of inane
flicks immediately after.

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RyanMcGreal
It's always a pleasure to see a screwball actor flourish on being cast outside
type. Here are a few more examples:

* Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction

* Robin Williams in One Hour Photo

* Adam Sandler in Punch-Drunk Love and Spanglish

* Bill Murray in Broken Flowers

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rl41
Adam Sandler really shines in Reign Over Me.

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voodoochilo
i hope joe pesci plays woz!

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sliverstorm
I bet Woz would make a pretty convincing Woz

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user0398
This has definitely been the single worst HN thread of all time.

