Will Michael Fassbender & Natalie Portman do that Steve Jobs bio-pic together?

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Last year, Michael Fassbender and Natalie Portman kept signing on to the same projects. It was weird because… I don’t know? They just don’t seem like they would have a lot of professional or on-screen chemistry. Which is why it didn’t surprise me that they didn’t end up doing all of those projects together. They did a Terrence Malick film together, then Portman was considered for Fassy’s Macbeth film, but Marion Cotillard was later cast as Lady Macbeth. Fassy was also supposed to be in Portman’s Jane Got a Gun, but that whole thing ended up being a giant clusterwhoops, with a steady stream of people leaving the project in a hurry.

Anyway, Portman is now in “talks” to star with Fassy on another project: the very chaotic Steve Jobs bio-pic written by Aaron Sorkin. As I said when Fassy first approached the project, he doesn’t seem like a particularly good casting choice. There was even some behind-the-scenes drama in the past week, when Sony dumped the project and Universal picked it up, with Fassbender attached. And now Portman is “in talks” to play a “major role.” Hm.

Natalie Portman is in talks to join Universal’s Steve Jobs biopic. Character details were not revealed, but it is expected to be a major role. Should a deal get done, the Oscar winner’s casting would mark another positive reversal of fortune for the Danny Boyle-helmed project. Deadline revealed last week that it had been put in turnaround by Sony Pictures, to the shock of many in the industry. Universal picked it up Monday.

Michael Fassbender is being courted to play the Apple genius in the Aaron Sorkin-scripted film, adapted from Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography Steve Jobs. The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Christian Colson, Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady.

Portman, repped stateside by CAA, has been particularly busy of late. The actress-turned-filmmaker is in post on her feature directorial debut A Tale Of Love And Darkness, an adaptation of celebrated Israeli writer Amos Oz’s memoir, in which she also stars. She is a producer on Burr Steers’ Jane Austen/undead mash-up Pride And Prejudice And Zombies and stars in Gavin O’Connor’s upcoming Jane Got A Gun and a pair of Terrence Malick pictures.

[From Deadline]

There’s some theory that Portman might play Jobs’ wife? But remember, this is an Aaron Sorkin script, so she would probably be playing either a coworker or some kind of foil, maybe even a journalist. The film is apparently set as three long scenes, each scene set backstage before Steve Jobs launched an iconic Apple product (like, the Mac, the iPod, the iPad, something like that). What do you think? Should Portman and Fassy make more films together?

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Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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40 Responses to “Will Michael Fassbender & Natalie Portman do that Steve Jobs bio-pic together?”

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  1. Lilacflowers says:

    A Fassy thread!

  2. bammer says:

    She’s so boring. Fassy doesn’t seem right for this film. It seems like a mess. He’s got 5678 other projects coming out that are more interesting.

  3. LadyMTL says:

    I love me some Fassbender but this seems like a strange choice. I mean, is there really a huge demand for ANOTHER Steve Jobs movie?

  4. Loopy says:

    The film is apparently set as three long scenes- huh?

    • don't kill me i'm french says:

      Apparently it’s about Jobs ‘s relation with his older daughter.
      Jobs’window is rumored to disapprove the project according to Jeff Sneider

  5. Mia4S says:

    She seems very *ahem* keen to work with him. Can’t say I blame her! 😉

    • Isadora says:

      Who would blame anyone who wants to work with Fassbender? 😉 But I have to admit her husband isn’t exactly ugly either and he’s a ballet dancer – these guys have the best bodies, seriously, no butt like a ballet dancer’s butt. So she can leave Fassbender to me. 😀

  6. Kiki says:

    I think that making a movie about steve jobs is a very difficult and a really bad idea. For starters, hollywood is so lazy and mediocre, that instead of thinking of new and improved ideas for a film, they resort to tv remakes, film adaptation remakes and most of all, autobiographies. And I am really disappointed in both Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin to even think to make a movie about Steve Jobs and plus even if it is a book, you will have to ask the people in his life who even want to do this biography. But a good attempt, so I hope and better be good.

    Now for the casting, which really pissed me off about Hollywood. I know Michael Fassbender is a very superb actor but, seriously not for steve jobs, and to add injury to insult you want to cast Natalie Portman. I hope this will be a very good movie. Because Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin are two of my biggest influential in my life.

    • **sighs** says:

      On paper this seems like a great idea. Sorkin, Boyle, Fassy.. But didn’t we just have a terrible Jobs movie that did pretty poorly? Give it some space. Revisit it in a few years.

  7. Maria says:

    Here’s to hoping he drops out this project.

    I can’t see him as Jobs, plus, the material seems dull for some of his caliber.

    As for Portman, meh, she doesn’t impress me as an actress much less a person with some of the remarks she’s made.

  8. Peach says:

    Natalie definitely seems to really want to work with Michael. Not that I blame her. 😉

    ETA: LOL. I see Mia and I said the exact same thing! It’s hard not to notice her many attempts to work with him again after the Malick film.

  9. Adrien says:

    Natalie Portman is too thin to portray Steve Wozniak.

  10. IscoDisco says:

    Yessshhh, I’ve missed this fool. Generally, I find biopics tedious to watch, but I’d likely watch this if Fassy is in it.

  11. 'P'enny says:

    he looks nothing like steve jobs – I just wont be able to buy into it at all. No matter how good an actor he is.

  12. Hautie says:

    Another movie about Jobs? Why? Seriously.

    I completely understand why his widow, would be p*ssed about it.

    No one wants to see their life portrayed in some half ass, Sorkin written movie. Which will be some over dramatized non-sense movie. That the widow will have to hear about for the rest of her life.

    And didn’t that last Job movie…. fail miserably. Why would any studio put more money into another movie based on him… unless it was going to tear the subject (Jobs) apart and make him look an raging assh*le. That is about the only way to make money on a film on something like this. Is to take it all “Mommy Dearest”.

    Oh wait… will Jobs be spanking Wozniak with a wire coat hanger? Dang… I bet Sorkin lifts that idea now!

    • **sighs** says:

      I thought I was the only one on the planet who thinks Sorkin is overrated. I do love AFGM, but other than that…. I really can’t stand the west wing.

  13. Luciana says:

    Natalie Portman doesn’t have the range or talent to pull off Lady Macbeth.

    • Snarky says:

      Natalie Portman doesn’t have the range or charisma to play a comatose person.

      • Dara says:

        @Snarky – ouch. Although I don’t entirely disagree with you. Has she ever had believable chemistry with any of her costars? I can’t really think of a single example.

      • Isadora says:

        Jean Reno. She was perfect in Léon. (And yes, I know it’s a long time ago.)

  14. Lucrezia says:

    No, but Gabby Frost will, definitely. Nat’s old news.

  15. enastein says:

    Yay! love me some Fassbender posts, He is 100 times better than Batchaway in my books.
    Thanks Kaiser

  16. Abigail says:

    The thing I love about Fassbender is that he doesn’t remain in his comfort zone playing similar characters and actually takes chances. Unlike some actors.

  17. sarah says:

    Natalie cannot act. Why do they give her so many big opportunities?? She has zero charisma on the big screen. I am also growing tired of her Lolita schtick.

  18. Addison says:

    When I first read this a few days ago, my first thought was “She needs to stop stalking Michael”.

  19. lucy2 says:

    I thought I read somewhere the project is all but dead now? I can’t see him as Jobs.

  20. Longhorn says:

    Who is Gabby Frost? I can’t see Fassy as Jobs either.

  21. GlimmerBunny says:

    I think they might have chemistry. I love them both as actors so I’m hopeful the film will turn out well (if she is cast.)

  22. Veruca Salt says:

    Natalie, honey, you’re being a little bit too obvious here. 😉 Relax.

  23. Isadora says:

    What a serious waste of talent (and looks). I love Fassbender, I love him as an actor and he could probably even make a Steve Jobs movie kind of watchable, but pleeeeassse, no… Call me ignorant, but I still fail to see why Steve Jobs is such an important and interesting person. His illness and death was very tragic of course, but other than that he was mostly a clever business man. I don’t understand why we need a second movie about him. But as I said, maybe I’m ignorant I also thought it was incredibly dull to make a movie about facebook and I don’t care how many Oscars The Social Network got. It’s still a movie about facebook, come on…

    On another note: Does anybody know if there is something like a schedule for the Terrence Malick film? Any post-production news, release plans, even a film title?

    And I’m very curious about his Macbeth. Can’t wait!

  24. charming says:

    I wonder why Fassbender is doing this. Has he said anything about this?

  25. Florence says:

    Why on earth does michael always look like he needs a shower?!
    I like the fact that he isn’t a tabloid ho though