The Steve Jobs biopic that's been capturing headlines for the last six months or so has hit yet another setback. In a surprise turnaround, Sony Pictures has decided to ditch the project according to a new report from Variety.
An informed source said that in Sony's absence, Universal was likely to try and pick up the pieces. Sony had no comment on the story.
The film, based on Walter Isaacson's biography of the Apple co-founder and written by Aaron Sorkin, is said to consist of three scenes that follow Jobs as he prepares backstage ahead of three major product announcements: the Mac, the NeXT (after Jobs left Apple) and the iPod. Jobs' estranged daughter, Lisa, is to be portrayed as the heroine of the film.
Isaacson's biography, Steve Jobs, went on sale less than three weeks after Jobs' death on October 5, 2011. The book was originally planned to go on sale in late November but was moved up due to his death.
Christian Bale was said to be the top pick to play Jobs dating back to March of this year. Just last month, it was confirmed that Bale would take the role but at the last minute, he backed out. Michael Fassbender's name has popped up on the radar in recent weeks as a replacement.
Leonardo DiCaprio was originally floated for the lead role although that rumor never materialized.