Though it may seem a tad bit inappropriate, Hollywood has been developing a biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs almost from the moment he passed away back in October 2011. Sony made a first move only two days after Jobs' death, picking up the book rights to the non-fiction title Steve Jobs by journalist Walter Isaacson, and a few weeks later Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin was hired to pen the adaptation. But then the competition arrived. On April Fools Day 2012 it was announced that Ashton Kutcher had been cast to play the industrious innovator in a completely separate in biopic directed by Swing Vote's Joshua Michael Stern. But while Sorkin's movie took its time working through development (don't worry, it's still happening), Stern's jOBS crossed the finish line first and had its debut at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Thanks to the high profile nature of the film it was no surprise when Open Road Films picked it up for distribution, and now, with the movie soon heading to theaters, the studio has released the title's first trailer.
Before all of you Apple fans start getting too excited about seeing Jobs, you should know that first reactions to the title were a bit mixed after its premiere. Albeit with only seven reviews, the movie's Rotten Tomatoes score is sitting at a not-too-hot 43%. Our own Katey Rich can be counted among those who weren't too blown away by the movie, writing in her review, "After 10 days of watching Sundance films that wholly reject traditional Hollywood formulas, it's exhausting to see the work Joshua Michael Stern does here, leaning heavily on an overbearing score and soft lighting and scenes that lay out the film's themes as broadly as a corporate presentation." It's something to think about while watching the above trailer, which does have a pronounced generic feeling about it.
In addition to releasing the new trailer, Open Road has also posted two new stills from the movie. In the first one you can see that it comes from a point in the story after Steve Jobs has discovered how fashionable he looks in round-frame glasses. The second looks like it could be one of Apple's famed keynote presentations, though it seems to be one very early in Jobs' career just by looking at Kutcher. Check out both images below and click on them to see them full size.
Scripted by newcomer Matt Whiteley, the film tells the story of how Jobs dropped out of college and eventually founded one of the most influential tech companies of the 20th century. Jobs' terrific supporting cast includes Josh Gad, James Woods, Matthew Modine, Dermot Mulroney, Lukas Haas, and J.K. Simmons. See the film in theaters on August 16th.
