aaron sorkin
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Aaron Sorkin is working on a Jan. 6-focused follow-up to The Social Network
Aaron Sorkin has announced that he’s currently writing a followup script to The Social Network. The original was his take on the initial years of Facebook.
Netflix's 'The Trial Of The Chicago 7' is free to watch on YouTube
You have until midnight PT on Sunday to stream the drama without a Netflix subscription.
The writer of ‘The Social Network’ rails on Zuckerberg in open letter
Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter of The Social Network, has become the latest high-profile individual to criticize Facebook for its policy on political ads. In a new open letter addressed to Mark Zuckerberg and published in The New York Times, Sorkin relates how sensitive Facebook was about the biopic when he wrote it almost 10 years ago.
'Steve Jobs' movie finds another home and a new star
Aaron Sorkin's adaptation of Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs may scream box office success, but actually making the movie has proven quite difficult. After two years of development, Sony Pictures decided to pass on the movie, but rival studio Universal has stepped in after allegedly paying $30 million for the rights. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Danny Boyle-directed movie has found a new star to play the Apple co-founder after Christian Bale withdrew earlier this month. In his place steps Michael Fassbender, who is now expected to appear beside Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak and Jessica Chastain in an as-yet unspecified role. All we have to do now is get to the end of this post without mentioning Ashton Kutcher and we'll be... damn.
Christian Bale in talks to play Steve Jobs in Aaaron Sorkin's Jobs biopic
With Leonardo DiCaprio now out of the running, Variety reports today that Batman star Christian Bale is in talks to take on the role of Steve Jobs in the upcoming Jobs biopic penned by the incomparable Aaron Sorkin. Oscar-winner Christian Bale, who has played Batman and Moses, is about to take on another iconic figure: Steve Jobs. Sources confirm the actor is in talks to star in "Jobs," Sony's biopic about the late Apple co-founder. Based on Walter Isaacson's biography "Steve Jobs," the real-life drama is directed by Danny Boyle and written by Aaron Sorkin. Bale's association with the film first surfaced this past March amidst reports that he was director David Fincher's top choice for the role. While Fincher won't in fact be directing the movie after all, it appears that Bale is still in the running. Notably, the movie itself will not be a complete chronicling of Jobs' life. Rather, it will consist of just three 30-minute scenes which will be set backstage "before a trio of historic product launches: the original Macintosh, the NeXT and the iPod."
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for March 21, 2014
NOTE: An issue with the Libsyn player not working on iOS devices has been resolved by moving to an MP3 format from the previous M4A format. We apologize for the inconvenience the past few days. It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Christian Bale is director's top choice to play Steve Jobs in Aaron Sorkin's upcoming biopic
The JOBS movie starring Ashton Kutcher didn't exactly garner many positive reviews, but a second effort at a Steve Jobs biopic may very well be worth paying attention to. In mid-2012, Sony Pictures announced that it hired famed screenwriter Aaron Sorkin to write a movie screenplay about Steve Jobs. With titles like A Few Good Men and The Social Network to his credit, Sorkin's involvement gave the project a whole lot of buzz. Now comes word via The Wrap that director David Fincher (who has been in talks to direct the film) would like the caped crusader himself, Christian Bale, to take on the role of Jobs. According to the report, Fincher, who previously directed the thoroughly enjoyable The Social Network, will only join the project if Bale is tapped to play the part of the Apple co-founder. Sorkin, who won an Oscar for writing Fincher's Facebook drama "The Social Network," based his script on Walter Isaacson's bestselling authorized biography. That book was, in turn, based on more than 40 interviews that author had with Jobs, as well as interviews with friends, family and colleagues. The film consists of three long scenes regarding Apple's buzzed-about product launches, including the Mac, NeXT (after Jobs had left Apple) and the iPod. Production could begin before the end of the year, though an early 2015 start is more likely, as both Bale and Fincher will be busy this fall promoting their respective movies, "Exodus" and "Gone Girl." Sorkin, who perhaps is best known for his work on The West Wing, reportedly finished the script for the movie this past January. During a November 2012 interview, Sorkin said that the script would consist of just three scenes that all take place backstage prior to important product announcements.
Daily Update for January 14, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some of the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Nest reaffirms iOS support, and other news for January 14, 2014
The biggest tech news of the last 24 hours was Google's acquisition of Nest. Many customers considered what that means for the future of Nest and iOS. To calm any fears, several Nest execs have confirmed that Nest's products will always support iOS. Now, the company has also released a FAQ confirming it: Will Nest continue to support iOS so I can have the Nest app on my iPhone or iPad? Yes, absolutely. We'll continue supporting iOS, Android and modern web browsers so you can check in on your home and control the temperature from wherever you are. In other news: Variety is reporting that The Social Network and West Wing scribe Aaron Sorkin has turned in the script for Sony's Steve Jobs biopic, which is based off of Walter Isaacson's biography. Final Cut Pro X may gain the ability to edit 3D video sometime in the future if a patent application is any indication. Apple has been granted US Patent No. 8,631,047 for "Editing 3D video." The patent details how to manipulate a stereoscopic three-dimensional image. Apple has lost a bid to oust its court-appointed monitor. US District Judge Denise Cote has denied Apple's request to remove Michael Bromwich, who's bound to ensure that Apple abides by anti-trust laws. Apple believes Bromwich has a personal bias against the company.
Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs flick gets an April release date
The new film that starts Ashton Kutcher as Steve Jobs (which is still unfortunately titled jOBS, apparently), has gotten an April release date, according to the Wall Street Journal. The film, directed by Joshua Michael Stern, will premiere at the very end of the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah later on this month, but will eventually open for a wider release sometime in April. This is the first of two Steve Jobs movies we're scheduled to see come together in 2013, with the other one currently being written by none other than Aaron Sorkin. That one's a little further behind, so it hasn't even started shooting yet, and we're not even close to a release date for that one. But if the picture of Kutcher as Jobs intrigues you above, you won't have long to wait -- the movie is just a few months away from finding its way to a theater near you.
Here's the first official photo of Ashton Kutcher in 'jOBS'
The organizers of the Sundance Film Festival announced today that director Joshua Michael Stern's independent Steve Jobs biopic, the oddly capitalized jOBS, will premiere on January 27, the final night of this year's festival in Park City, Utah. In making the announcement, Sundance issued the first official publicity photo of actor Ashton Kutcher as the late Apple CEO and co-founder, which you can see above. The shot, modeled after an actual photo, depicts Jobs with long hair and a beard, wearing a long-sleeve button-down and jeans. He's leaning against his work desk in a cubicle that features a rainbow-colored IBM "THINK" poster and an Apple II. Unsurprisingly, Kutcher looks eerily like a young Jobs. You can see a larger version of the photo here. [Via MacRumors]
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]
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]
Aaron Sorkin talks about future Steve Jobs movie, impact of technology on his writing
You don't have to look far to get a grasp on who Aaron Sorkin is -- he wrote A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Moneyball and The Social Network, for starters -- and he showed up at D10 to talk creative media, how the digital age impacts his writing and his impending movie about late Apple CEO Steve Jobs. While not involving hard technology news, the interview was exceedingly refreshing, and it delved deep into the world of tech as it impacts his upcoming show about a fictional newsroom (The Newsroom on HBO). The highlights included a frank quote that whoever ends up playing Jobs in his movie -- not to be confused with the one already in production with Ashton Kutcher -- will have to be "good, and intelligent." He also confessed to being fully engaged in the "three screens" movement, but wasn't too prideful to admit that he taps into the brain of his 11-year old daughter for lots of technological help. Pretty wild for a guy that many would label "genius." For more from the interview, head on past the break.
Daily Update for May 18, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
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]
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.
Daily Update for October 26, 2011
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen.
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.
