Batman or Magneto: which would you want to be Steve Jobs?
Oh wait, one of those cards is now off of the table. Variety reported a few hours ago that Christian Bale, the Academy-Award winning actor most known in roles including The Fighter, American Hustle and The Dark Knight trilogy, bailed out on Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic, which is written by Aaron Sorkin and tells the life of the Apple co-founder during three Apple presentation that came to define him and his career. Sources say that Bale dropped because he felt wrong for the part after much thought and deliberation.
Ugh. I’m trying really hard not to be upset about all of this. Bale is one of today’s most versatile and talented actors in the industry. If he needs to lose weight for a role like The Fighter, or gain weight for a role like American Hustle, or build up muscle for a role in The Dark Knight, Bale has proven time and time again how effectively well he can slip into the mind of his character. Seriously, if you haven’t seen how well Bale can act, look at his performance in Steven Spielberg’s 1987 film Empire Of The Sun. He was 12 years old at the time of filming.
My point being if Bale can slip so wonderfully into the roles of so many different characters, there’s no reason he can’t slip into the role of Steve Jobs. But actors can pick and choose their projects, and Bale has certainly earned that right. That doesn’t mean I need to be happy about this though, and I’m not.
So who’s going to pick up the role? Reports from early today indicated that Michael Fassbender (X-men First Class, 12 Years A Slave) is in the running to portray the founder. He certainly has the chops for it, and in many ways is just as versatile an actor as Bale is. If you don’t believe me, watch his performance in Steve McQueen’s 2008 film Hunger. If you were going to replace Christian Bale in an iconic role as Steve Jobs, the perfect pic would have to be Michael Fassbender.
However, let me die your hopes right there and say that Fassbender is in talks to portray the entrepreneur. He has not been confirmed yet, and has not signed on for anything.
What do you guys think? Who would you like to see in the running for Steve Jobs? Comment below, let me know.
– David Dunn
SOURCE: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
DAVID DUNN 