In the massive amount of media attention surrounding the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs last week, the little corner of the Internet dedicated to movies couldn't help but acknowledge Jobs's contribution to the movie industry, which is almost as significant as the computers he invented. Jobs invested money in Pixar back when it was just a computer technology in the 80s, and helped guide the company into the filmmaking powerhouse it is today. And even though Jobs's duties at the company decreased when Disney bought Pixar in 2006, he still had an important duty not just in managing it, but in shaping the creative direction.
How important? Well, in a remembrance of Jobs written for Newsweek, Aaron Sorkin recalled a phone conversation he had with Jobs in 2007, when his show Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip had been canceled and Jobs called him up just "to make sure you’re not discouraged" (yeah, he really was that kind of nice guy). Sorkin had known Jobs only because he had spoken in the press about being a Mac fan, but when Jobs called him that time, it was to encourage him to write a movie for Pixar. Sorkin demurred, arguing that his kid adores Pixar movies and "I don't want to disappoint her by writing the only bad movie in the history of Pixar." After a long silence, here's where the conversation went from there:
STEVE: Jeez ... write about THAT.ME: Steve—STEVE: Why don’t you come up here and let me give you a tour of the place.
Sorkin never took the tour, and so far as we know, never wrote a movie for Pixar anyway. But is it callous to hope that Jobs's death might inspire Sorkin to take him up on the offer posthumously? Think of the fast-paced screwball verve of Pixar movies like The Incredibles, and imagine how the company could benefit from a wit like Sorkin on board. Even if it doesn't happen Sorkin's remembrance is a beautiful tribute, but an excellent new original Pixar movie wouldn't be so bad either.
