It's been a year of highs and lows for Apple's most ardent fans. There were great peaks, like the announcement of the iPhone 6 and Apple Watch. There were dark valleys, like BendGate. And then there was the puzzling April news that Leonardo DiCaprio was in talks to play the company's iconic founder, Steve Jobs. While we don't have our watches yet and the bending thing may or may not be happening, fans of the Cupertino company now know one thing for sure: the king of the world will not be playing the late king of Silicon Valley.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio recently "removed himself" from the reportedly troubled production "altogether," for reasons not yet made clear to the publication.
Sony first optioned Walter Isaacson's biography of the tech giant in 2011, and enlisted the infamously mercurial Aaron Sorkin to adapt it for the big screen. Things hit a roadblock when David Fincher, who has been in talks to direct the film, was dumped in a dispute over fees this April.
Fincher had reportedly wanted Christian "good for you" Bale for the role, but with Fincher out, 28 Days Later director Danny Boyle was reportedly in negotiations for the gig, with DiCaprio to possibly star.
Nearly seven months later, DiCaprio's bowed out too, perhaps realizing that Ashton Kutcher did such an amazing job as Jobs in last year's film of the same name that he could never compete. (That last part was a joke.)
Now, reports THR, Bale is back on Sony's list as a possible Jobs, as is Matt Damon, Ben Affleck or Bradley Cooper. My vote: flip the godamn script and go with Idris Elba. Post racial America, y'all!