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Christian Bale to play Apple co-founder?

OSCAR WINNER CHRISTIAN Bale is David Fincher’s choice to play Steve Jobs in the untitled movie that Aaron Sorkin has written for Sony, an individual familiar with the project has said.

Scott Rudin and Mark Gordon are producing with Film 360’s Guymon Casady.

A representative for Gordon did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Sony declined to comment on the record. A representative for Bale also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fincher recently met with Sony’s Amy Pascal to discuss the possibility of directing the film, and told her, in no uncertain terms, that he’d only take the reins of the project if Bale plays Jobs.

Fincher and Pascal had a tense relationship during the making of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, but Pascal believes in him as a filmmaker - and is inclined to keep him happy, according to one insider. It helps that Pascal has a good relationship with Bale, following a positive experience on American Hustle. The film earned Bale an Oscar nomination during a highly-competitive year.

While Steve Jobs is a long way from Batman, Bale has been considered a prime contender to play the tech superhero since the project was first announced due to his physical resemblance to the Apple co-founder.

Bale has not been approached to play Jobs yet, as the actor is taking a brief break from the business to spend time with his family since wrapping the role of Moses in Ridley Scott’s Exodus. The biblical epic is expected to have Bale back in the awards conversation.

Sorkin, who won an Oscar for writing Fincher’s Facebook drama The Social Network, based his script on Walter Isaacson’s bestselling authorised 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.

Though Open Road’s Jobs, which starred Ashton Kutcher, grossed only $35 million worldwide, Sony believes that there is considerable interest across the globe in a Steve Jobs movie made by and featuring A-list talent. Bale, who will soon be seen in a pair of Terrence Malick movies, has no firm attachments to movies in development. The notoriously selective actor won an Oscar for his supporting performance in David O. Russell’s The Fighter.