Producer Mark Hulme opens up that 'Jobs' will take place during the late gadget guru's life in 1971-2000, which marked Apple's founding as well as its up and down years.
- Apr 17, 2012
AceShowbiz - Some significant details about Ashton Kutcher's upcoming Steve Jobs biopic, "Jobs", have been unveiled. It was the film's producer Mark Hulme who offered some tidbits on the much-talked-about project, which at first was thought as a Hollywood's April Fool's prank. Speaking to Neonwin, Hulme dished on where the biopic will stand and be based on.
"Our movie primarily focuses on the early years of Apple, its founding and the up and down years: 1971 - 2000," said Hulme. Asked if the film will be based on a particular book or not, he responded, "Since Apple was a public company and since Steve Jobs was a very visible and much-written-about individual, there is a wealth of source material. We also enlisted the support of primary sources who knew him personally."
Speaking about Kutcher's casting, which initially drew pessimism among some Apple fans, Hulme believed that the "Two and a Half Men" star is a perfect choice for the film. "Since our film covers the early years of Apple, when Jobs was in his 20s, 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," he said.
Hulme claimed that it was not difficult to convince Kutcher to star as the late gadget mogul. "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 recognized the historical importance of Steve Jobs and the potential of the project," he said. "He is very excited to have the role."
As for why Joshua Michael Stern was picked to helm the biopic, the producer explained, "We wanted a director who could not only buy into and execute our vision for the film, but could also work within our framework as an independent film company."
"After several meetings with Josh we were confident we had found both a brilliant and collaborative director," he continued. "As an experienced writer and director Josh has a masterful understanding of the process of film making."
"Jobs" is planned to begin filming in Los Angeles this May, and is expected to make its way out onto the U.S. cinemas in the fourth quarter of this year. Hulme explained that the project is still negotiating with some actors to fill the parts of such key players in the story as Steve Wozniak, John Scully, Mike Markkula and Daniel Kottke.
Finally, when asked if he's worried about competing with rival Steve Jobs biopic from Sony, Hulme answered diplomatically, "Sony is a highly respected company, and [author Walter] 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."
