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An Elon Musk biopic will be directed by Darren Aronofsky
Film production company A24 and director Darren Aronofsky are making an Elon Musk biopic. The film will be based on Walter Isaacson’s biography.
What’s coming to Netflix in October: The 'Breaking Bad' movie
As you'd expect, Netflix is planning plenty of seasonal thrillers for October. The theme this year is that the kids are not okay. You'll meet Eli, a child with a mysterious illness who has to be secluded from the world and is battling "nightmares." Raising Dion is sci-fi look at the horrors of parenting. In Fractured, a man is searching for his daughter who vanished from an ER. In Daybreak, a teenage outcast is navigating a post-apocalyptic world full of zombies. Rattlesnake stars a single mother who will do anything to save her daughter, and In The Tall Grass -- based on a novella by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill -- stars a pregnant woman who gets lost in a field of tall grass when she tries to answer a boy's cry for help.
David Fincher's next movie is a Netflix Original
It's hard to believe that David Fincher, responsible for iconic films like Seven, Fight Club and The Social Network, hasn't made a film for five years. He's finally coming back to direct a movie called Mank for Netflix, according to Variety. It will star Gary Oldman and detail the turbulent development of the script for Citizen Kane by Hollywood legends Herman Mankiewicz and Orson Welles.
Hulu orders a Theranos miniseries starring Kate McKinnon
If HBO's Theranos documentary didn't satisfy your curiosity, you might be in luck. Deadline and Variety have learned that Hulu is ordering The Dropout, a miniseries about the rise and fall of Theranos and its founder Elizabeth Holmes. The show would be produced by and star Saturday Night Live veteran Kate McKinnon, and would have its roots in a similarly-titled podcast that was turned into a 20/20 documentary in March.
David Fincher in talks to direct upcoming Steve Jobs biopic and other news from Feb. 27, 2014
The Ashton Kutcher 2013 film on Steve Jobs didn't set the world on fire, and fans are eagerly awaiting a new film based on Walter Isaacson's best selling biography of the Apple founder and icon. The Hollywood Reporter and other media say that director David Fincher (The Social Network) is in talks with Sony to do the film, which would re-unite the director with writer Aaron Sorkin. The film has had a long gestation. Sony took on the project in 2011, and the script was started in 2012. Fincher is a director who takes his time on projects, so don't look for a quick appearance of this film. No actor has been selected for the role of Jobs, but Steve Wozniak is along as a consultant. Wozniak was very critical of the Kutcher film because of the way many people were portrayed. Other news from Thursday includes: The Apple store went down late Thursday evening Pacific time. Why it's down, we don't know, but we'll let you know the changes when it comes back up. Google Hangouts has been updated for iOS 7, including picture-in-picture video calling for the iPad. AppleInsider is reporting that users are complaining that OS X 10.9.2 has broken AirPlay Mirroring in Mavericks. A number of failures are being reported to Apple's support forums. ABC is live streaming the Oscars to its iOS app, however it's only available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Fresno, Calif. if you subscribe to one of the cable providers there. Kendrick Lamar is the latest to be added to the iTunes Festival lineup. 9to5Mac noticed that Apple has released a new page on its developer site to help them get the most out of design for iOS 7 and OS X.
Ashton Kutcher's Jobs to open nationwide on August 16th
Try to contain your excitement -- Ashton Kutcher's new movie Jobs, which previewed to somewhat tepid reviews towards the beginning of 2013 -- will be hitting theaters nationwide on Friday, August 16th. Open Road Films was originally aiming for an April 19th release date, but decided to delay the release somewhat due to the fact they weren't able to generate a lot of "buzz" about the movie. Now the production company has two months to turn on the hype machine, get a media campaign up and running and try to get you to reach for a wallet (virtual or not) and buy a ticket. Jobs is the first real biopic based on the life and times of the former Apple CEO. Funny or Die's iSteve was apparently quite awful and was also attempting to be a comedy, so it's not being counted as a serious movie. Another biopic based on Walter Isaacson's biography Steve Jobs is apparently in the works, but isn't expected for at least another year or two.
'iSteve', Funny or Die's satirical biopic of Steve Jobs, is now available online
After delaying the release of iSteve due to the tragic bombing at the Boston Marathon this week, the Steve Jobs parody film went live on Funny or Die's website late on Tuesday. With a run time of 78 minutes, iSteve offers what promises to be a uniquely comedic, if not inaccurate, take on the Apple co-founder's life and persona. In one particularly amusing scene, Jobs becomes furious while directing a "Get a Mac" commercial and rips into a character playing the Justin Long role. Yep, this film gets meta. Lest you think this is a big-budget Hollywood film, bear in mind that the script was written in just three days while the film was shot in less than a week. Needless to say, iSteve won't be generating any Oscar buzz, but it is replete with inside jokes about Jobs and Apple lore that Apple enthusiasts will undoubtedly get a kick out of. The film stars Justin Long as Jobs and features a rather hilarious Jorge Garcia of Lost fame as Woz. If you're not yet intrigued, check out the film's trailer below. The full film can't be embedded so head on over Funny or Die for the full feature.
Funny or Die delays launch of iSteve movie until April 17
Funny or Die has delayed the premiere of iSteve, a movie about the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. The short film was scheduled to debut on April 15, but the tragic bombing in Boston prompted the comedy website to reschedule the film. According to Funny or Die's website, iSteve is now expected to air on April 17.
Watch the trailer for Funny or Die's upcoming iSteve biopic
Will Ferrell's comedy website, Funny or Die, is working on a biopic of Steve Jobs starring Justin Long, who played opposite John Hodgman in Apple's popular "Get a Mac" advertising campaign. Titled iSteve, the hour-long film will make its debut on April 15th on the Funny or Die website. To promote its movie, Funny or Die released a trailer that you can watch below. The 90-second clip is a montage of buzz words, cliches and overly dramatic conversations that may or may not happened in the life of Jobs. According to writer and director Ryan Perez, the script for the movie was written in three days and the film was shot in five. It may not be the best Steve Job's biography you will see, but it will be the first and perhaps the funniest.
Justin Long to play Steve Jobs in Funny or Die biopic parody
For years, actor Justin Long played the Mac to John Hodgman's PC in Apple's US TV advertising. Now Long is starring as Steve Jobs in a biopic parody due from the comedy website Funny or Die on April 15, 2013. Ryan Perez, the writer and director of the upcoming iSteve, said that "in true internet fashion, it's not based on very thorough research -- essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs Wikipedia page. It's very silly. But it looks at his whole life." The movie is expected to run anywhere from 60 to 75 minutes in length, short for a feature film, but the longest-ever project for Funny or Die. Perez notes that the script took him three days to write, and the movie was shot in five days. "We may not be the best, but we will be the first," said Perez. He's right, of course. Aaron Sorkin's biopic based on Walter Isaacson's book Steve Jobs is years away from hitting theaters, while the release of the Ashton Kutcher film Jobs has been delayed while a new marketing plan is created. So grab your bag of popcorn and zap iSteve to your HDTV using AirPlay on April 15. It's sure to be the funniest Steve Jobs biography you'll ever see. [via Cult of Mac]
Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs movie to portray backstage at three Apple Events in real-time
Aaron Sorkin is in the middle of working on his version of a Steve Jobs biopic, and at a meeting called the Hero Summit, he revealed that the screenplay's current form might seem a little strange. The Daily Beast reports that instead of traditionally telling the story of Steve Jobs from the beginning of his life or career, Sorkin plans to focus on three different segments, each about 30 minutes of the film in real time, set backstage at different Apple Events. It's an interesting idea, to be sure. Steve was known for his presentations, and much of his and Apple's story was written at those big announcements, where he revealed products such as the iMac, the iPod and the iPhone. Portraying three events at different points in Steve's life would show both his and the company's growth, and also put him on display when he shined the most and backstage, when he was perhaps the most honest with his co-workers. We'll have to see how this works out. Since the screenplay is still being worked on, the script might change as time goes on or, in the wild world of Hollywood, this version of the movie might never make it to shooting. But it's an interesting idea, and it would give us an unique perspective on Steve Jobs and his legacy. [Via TechCrunch]
Matthew Modine, Josh Gad join Ashton Kutcher in Steve Jobs movie
In case you haven't had your fill of entertainment news this morning, here's some more. We all know that Ashton Kutcher is playing the part of Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic (the one that's not inspired by the Walter Isaacson biography of Jobs). Today we have news of other members of the ensemble. Matthew Modine (at right) is now slated to play the part of John Sculley, the former Pepsi CEO who took Jobs' place as CEO of Apple and who was the helm when Jobs was forced out of the company. This is a great casting pick -- Modine looks remarkably like Sculley, even more than Kutcher looks like a younger Jobs. They'll be joined by Josh Gad, who is set to play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. The movie is expected to hit theaters this fall.
Aaron Sorkin discusses making the Jobs biopic
Filmmaker and writer Aaron Sorkin (probably best known for his work on The West Wing, though I really liked his dramacom Sports Night a lot) recently sat down with Walt Mossberg at All Things Digital to have a chat about his work on one of the new Steve Jobs biographical movies coming out. He talked frankly about his current attempts to try and give justice to the life and times of Apple's famous co-founder. Sorkin says, not surprisingly, that trying to live up to expectations on a movie like this will be hard: "This was a little like writing about The Beatles," he says. "There are so many people out there who know so much about him and who revere him, that I just saw a minefield of disappointment." Sorkin says the movie probably won't be a complete account of everything Steve Jobs, just because that's probably not the best way to really tell his story. Rather, "I'll probably identify the point of friction that appeals to me and then approach that." And of course, Sorkin has a little bit of experience writing about innovative tech figures already, having written the very well-done Social Network movie about Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook. It's still very early in the process, but Sorkin says that like Zuckerberg, he'll have to see Jobs in a certain light to try and make his story resonate: "I can't judge the character. He has to, for me, be a hero. I have to find the parts of him that are like me. I have to be able to defend this character. With someone like Steve Jobs, to put it as simply as possible, you want to write the character as if they are making the case to God why they should be allowed into heaven." [via Fortune]
Woz hired as technical advisor on Jobs biopic
Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter for the Facebook-inspired The Social Network, is working on an adaptation of the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson. To help him in this quest, Sorkin has hired Steve Wozniak as a technical advisor, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. Woz will help Sorkin accurately represent Jobs personality and show the technology that drove Steve Jobs's life. Sorkin said he wants to focus on a controversial or difficult time in Jobs's life and won't do a full-life story. He's been busy working on another project and hasn't decided what part of Jobs's life he will cover. Work on the screenplay will begin in earnest over the summer.
Aaron Sorkin to pen Jobs' biopic, Variety reports
Aaron Sorkin, fresh from winning an Oscar for writing "The Social Network," will move from covering Facebook to Apple. Sony has hired Sorkin to turn Walter Isaacson's "Steve Jobs" biography into a feature film, Variety reports. Sony acquired the movie rights to Isaacson's biography a couple weeks before it was released in October. Another Jobs biopic is scheduled to begin filming this month. This film, with the working title "Jobs," stars Ashton Kutcher and covers the years 1971-2000. "Jobs" is slated to be released in the fourth quarter of this year. [Via Mashable]
Steve Jobs biopic to begin filming in May
The producer behind the independent film about Steve Jobs told Neowin that filming on the biopic will start in May in preparation for release in the fourth quarter of this year. The film will be shot in Los Angeles. Producer Mark Hulme said the film would focus on Steve Jobs' life between 1971 and 2000. Ashton Kutcher will play Jobs. The film, which The Daily said was called "Jobs" also has the working title "Jobs: Get Inspired." Hulme said there was a wealth of source material to use for the film, and he also would be relying on people who knew Jobs personally. [Via AppleInsider]
Aaron Sorkin 'strongly considering' writing the Steve Jobs biopic
Sure, why not? Sony Pictures apparently grabbed the movie rights to Walter Isaacson's recent Steve Jobs biography, and the studio has asked Aaron Sorkin to write the film. Sorkin said this past week in Los Angeles, that sure, he's considering it. "Sony has asked me to write the movie and it's something I'm strongly considering," he said. But that doesn't mean he's agreed just yet: "Right now I'm just in the thinking-about-it stages. ... It's a really big movie and it's going to be a great movie no matter who writes it." Sorkin, who of course worked on Sports Night, West Wing, and last year's The Social Network, actually seems like a fine fit for a movie about Jobs' life -- not only is he a really smart writer with a great gift for dialogue and a really world-savvy perspective, but he actually knew and was friends with Jobs himself. Sorkin's no stranger to controversy, but it does seem like he would do Jobs' story justice in an entertaining and powerful way. Sony is obviously still very early in the moviemaking process, so no other information about the film has been released yet, but we'll keep an eye out.
The All-ER lineup: Clooney and Wyle look to (re)-tackle Steve Jobs film role
No cited sources for this tidbit -- not even the usual "a person close to the production" -- but the UK's Now magazine sparked a rumor wildfire this week when it suggested that two veterans of NBC's ER are both interested in playing Steve Jobs for the upcoming film version of Walter Isaacson's biography. George Clooney and Noah Wyle (50 and 40 years old, respectively) are the two leading men in question; if you guessed Anthony Edwards and Goran Visnjic, sorry. The younger Wyle has two advantages in this horse race; for one, he's played Jobs before in the TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley. For another, he's younger -- if the producers hope to have a single actor portray the Apple co-founder from his Reed College & Cupertino garage days all the way forward through his life, they'll either need an actor in the middle of that range or some serious help from the CGI wizards at Pixar. If I were the one casting this film, I'd forgo the high-wattage but aging Clooney and the been-there-done-that Wyle for something different. Maybe a performer with a legitimate claim to Jobs's Middle Eastern heritage (Alexander Siddig?) or a credible indie favorite with an edge (Sam Rockwell). Of course, if we want the perfect combination of Steve-esque looks and fan favorite, there's always Justin Long. Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog has a poll running which shows a dramatic (5 to 1) preference for Wyle over Clooney. [hat tip to CNET]
Aaron Sorkin reportedly considered to write Jobs biopic
You had to see this one coming a mile away after hearing that Sony Pictures obtained the rights to a film version of Steve Jobs's biography. The LA Times reports that Aaron Sorkin, the writer behind the Mark Zuckerberg biopic The Social Network, is reportedly in consideration to write a screenplay based on Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs. Sorkin's screenplay for The Social Network won an Academy Award, so he seems an ideal candidate for a film version of Steve Jobs. He has a well-deserved reputation for writing smart dialogue coming from smart characters -- if you've ever bellowed "You can't HANDLE the truth" at one of your friends in a faux-Jack Nicholson drawl, thank Sorkin for his screenplay for A Few Good Men. Condensing Steve Jobs's entire life into a 2.5-hour film is going to be a monumental task no matter who tries to tackle it. Isaacson's biography is richly detailed, and much of that detail is going to wind up on the cutting room floor when translated to film. After having read through Steve Jobs myself, I'll be very interested to see which parts of it end up onscreen.
Leonardo DiCaprio to star in Atari founder biopic
Like something out of Bizzaro World, word on the street is that hunky dreamboat Leonardo DiCaprio will play Atari uber-nerd Nolan Bushnell in an upcoming biopic. According to reports, the film will detail Bushnell's life from his early work at amusement parks, through founding Atari and eventually building the Chuck E. Cheese's empire in a "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington meets Tucker" fashion. We understand there will be a thrilling montage where Bushnell soundly defeats every Atari staff member at Pong, then builds the first animatronic Jasper T. Jowls with spare parts from a 1976 Impala.
