Sony Drops Steve Jobs Biopic, Shakeup Leaves Apple Co-Founder Picture Without A Studio

The Aaron Sorkin-penned Steve Jobs biopic looked like a home run from the jump, but the project has been troubled nearly since its inception. The latest news has the Steve Jobs movie being dropped by Sony Pictures, and there’s some uncertainty over whether the project can continue at all without a studio.

The Sorkin-scripted Steve Jobs biopic is expected to be a high-quality glimpse at the behind-the-scenes life of the man we can thank for everything from iPods to iPhones to Iron Man, but Deadline is now reporting that Sony Pictures has put the film “in turnaround.” That’s Hollywood speak for “Sony dropped the Steve Jobs biopic,” which is shocking considering that the film has been on the fast track for development since its announcement more than a year ago.

Of course, “fast track” doesn’t seem to jibe terribly well with “its announcement more than a year ago,” but this Steve Jobs biopic has had a rough road despite what seemed to be a perfect alignment of stars. The project initially began with David Fincher as its director and Leonardo DiCaprio mentioned for the starring role, but cast and crew have shuffled again and again since its inception.

Most recently, Christian Bale was said to be set for the lead role, but Bale dropped out of the project a few weeks ago, leaving just Danny Boyle as the director and Aaron Sorkin as the screenwriter.

Now, according to the Hollywood Reporter, even Boyle has dropped out as the director on the Steve Jobs flick. Boyle, reportedly, wanted the picture to begin filming in January, as he had a short window before he would need to start another project. The fact that the film has been unable to nab a leading actor, though, has put the possibility of January production into doubt. Boyle’s departure, apparently, was the last straw for Sony.

The Steve Jobs project might not be totally dead right now, but it’s not looking good. The best hope now, apparently, is for Universal to pick up the Jobs biopic, and Deadline says rumors indicate that that is exactly what’s happening. For right now, though, the Jobs biopic apparently has only a Sorkin script nailed down. That’s more than many projects have going for them, but it still looks like a lot less than what was supposed to be the definitive Steve Jobs picture started out with.