Christian Bale Departs Steve Jobs Biopic

In a surprising turn of events, we’ve learned today courtesy of THR that Christian Bale has decided to not play Steve Jobs in Sony’s upcoming biopic. Just last week, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin delivered the news that they’d finally landed their lead, and he for one was extremely confident that Bale would “crush it.”

According to sources close to THR, “after much deliberation and conflicting feelings” Bale said no to playing the legendary Apple founder. This latest development marks the second major acting loss that the Danny Boyle-directed pic has suffered. Leonardo DiCaprio was at one time attached before he also bailed to indulge other pursuits, leaving the world wondering if it’d be Bale, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon or Bradley Cooper to take the reins. Now that Bale’s out, will Sony continue to court the three remaining candidates on its wishlist?

Regardless, the status of the movie is now uncertain. Progress on the biopic has been picking up the pace as of late, with the studio intent on getting cameras rolling this winter. After Bale had snagged the lead, matters recently turned to fleshing out the supporting cast. It was only last week that Seth Rogen and Jessica Chastain entered the mix. The Apatow alum was reportedly in talks to play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, with Chastain linked to an unspecified role.

Whether the pair are still in the running is unknown, but we’re likely to hear confirmation one way or another shortly. This week Boyle is scheduling meetings with a variety of actors and actresses in conjunction with the movie, so either way, it’s expected that we’ll hear an announcement very soon.

Boyle and Sorkin’s approach to Jobs’ life is slated to provide a unique look at the creative genius. Unlike the 2013 feature, this script is purported to revolve around three major launch events in Apple’s history, focusing on Jobs as he prepares for a trio of life-changing presentations.

It’s a definite blow that Bale will no longer be the man tackling Sorkin’s punchy dialogue, and we can only hope that for this Steve Jobs pic, the third time’s a charm.