Ashton Kutcher to Play Steve Jobs

By Barbara E. Hernandez

| Friday, Jul 27, 2012 | Updated 7:45 AM PDT

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Ashton Kutcher (center) has been signed to play the late Apple founder Steve Jobs in an independent biopic.

Ashton Kutcher has been chosen to play Steve Jobs in an independent biopic scheduled to start production in May.

The film, "Jobs" will portray Jobs from "wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple," Variety wrote. The script will be written by Matt Whiteley and the director is Joshua Michael Stern. Stern previously directed Kutcher in "The Guardian" with Kevin Costner. Kutcher will begin work on the film in May while on hiatus from his television show, "Two and Half Men."

Sony Pictures is also working on a Steve Jobs biopic based on Walter Isaacson's authorized biography, Steve Jobs. So far actors as diverse as Noah Wyle and George Clooney have been discussed as possible leads.

Some pundits are already panning this as the cheaper, "thrown together" Jobs biopic compared to the Isaacson version (that still is working on its director, screenwriter and actors) but we think it's too early to tell if Kutcher is a bad choice. He physically looks the part, if better-looking than Jobs, and can act well enough to execute a decent portrayal.

Kutcher is not just a pretty face. He also has some Silicon Valley technology and business chops, having been an investor in several startups such as Airbnb and Votizen, as well as being an adviser to both Chomp and NOWBOX.