Despite being loosely based on Walter Isaacson’s authorised biography of legendary entrepreneur Steve Jobs, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin has explained that, not only will the upcoming film not be a biopic in the traditional sense, but it will greatly benefit from the insight of Jobs’ own daughter, who declined to be involved in the book. This unconventional structure, coupled with personal oversight from Lisa Brennan-Jobs, suggests the finished project will be a fascinating movie indeed.
Speaking to Collider, Sorkin explained his intention to structure the narrative as three 30 minute scenes that are shot in ‘real time’ – each taking place just before a major product launch. The first will be the Mac, the second will be the NeXT, and the third will be the iPod. These particular products, and the moments of their respective launches, give specific insight into three very different stages of Jobs’ life and career – the Mac made his name, the NeXT represented his parting with Apple, and the iPod revolutionized the music industry.
With Danny Boyle at the helm, casting of the lead has yet to be confirmed. Christian Bale and Leonardo DiCaprio both passed, among others, and Michael Fassbender is apparently now under consideration. The unusual structure will present a great challenge to whichever performer ultimately lands the part, however, as Sorkin has previously indicated that the lead character will appear in almost every frame of the film.
Discussing the comparison between this upcoming project and his 2010 screenplay for The Social Network, Sorkin explained:
“Both films are much more about the people than the technology they invented. With The Social Network, I was interested in the psychology of the world’s most successful social networking system being invented by the world’s most anti-social guy. And in the case of Steve Jobs, it’s the relationship he had with his daughter, Lisa, that drew me into it. She didn’t participate in Walter Isaacson’s book, because her father was alive at the time, and she didn’t want to alienate either of her parents, so I was very grateful that she was willing to spend time with me. She is the heroine of the movie.”
The extent of her involvement onscreen remains to be seen, as it is understood that actresses testing for a particularly key role in the film are being asked to audition with scenes from Sorkin’s TV show, The Newsroom. Now that such a fascinating plan for the Steve Jobs film project has been laid out, though, we eagerly await confirmation of the casting of the lead roles.