Christian Bale Now Out as Steve Jobs

Well that didn’t take long…Perhaps we in the entertainment media should always count our chickens before they hatch, because while it looked a lock that Christian Bale would play Steve Jobs, he’s now officially left the project.

Now granted, usually these reports tell us that this actor or that actor is “in talks” to be in a certain movie, but you got the impression, right or wrong, that it was going to be a done deal. Yet according to the Hollywood Reporter and a number of other trade publications, Bale ultimately decided he wasn’t the right guy for the role, and left the project.

The Reporter tells us the film was hoping to shoot this winter, and casting meetings of course will continue. Director Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire) is reportedly in L.A. this week, meeting with actors, yet it’s not clear if there’s any fall back position in place at the moment.

This is definitely bummer news, because we figured Bale would be the guy to play Jobs. There’s still plenty of A-list talent involved, like Boyle, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, so we’ve got the feeling the movie should still turn out well, although we’re certainly as curious as anyone else who will ultimately headline the Jobs biopic.