Steve Jobs Movie Dead at Sony

Danny Boyle is attached to direct the project, which will now be shopped to other studios as Universal expresses interest

The high-profile Steve Jobs movie has been put into turnaround by Sony Pictures, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The movie, which was being produced by Scott Rudin, Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady, was to be directed by Danny Boyle from a script by Aaron Sorkin. Michael Fassbender is attached to play the Apple co-founder.

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The much-discussed project, based on Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, will now be shopped to other studios. Universal is said to be interested in the project with an eye on next year's awards season. Rudin is said to also be eyeing it for the 2015 awards season. But the film has struggled to cast a lead, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale both circling for a time. Bale withdrew earlier this month, with Fassbender the latest expressing interest in playing Jobs.

Universal declined to comment.

One source says Boyle needed the film to go into production in January, because he had a short window before starting another project.

Sony has several movies already in production for 2015 and wanted the film to shoot later. Also, Fassbender has commitments for Fox's X-Men: Apocalypse in the spring. Sony declined to comment.

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Sources also say that Annapurna Pictures, the production and financing shingle run by Megan Ellison, was to be involved as a partner on the feature project and had backed out. But an Annapurna insider says the company was never involved.

Despite that, producers were still in the midst of casting the project and had made an offer to Scarlett Johansson for a part. Seth Rogen was being eyed to play Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.