Ashton Kutcher to Play Steve Jobs in Indie Film

Ashton Kutcher will play the young Steve Jobs in indie film “Jobs,” which will chronicle Apple founder’s early days and rise to power

"Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher is attached to play Steve Jobs in an independent biopic called "Jobs," TheWrap has confirmed.

Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") will direct from a script by Matt Whiteley that "chronicles Jobs from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple and one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of our time."

Also read: Ashton Kutcher To Be First 'Two and a Half Men' Star in Space

Mark Hulme of the Five Star Institute is producing and financing. It's the first major project he's funded.

"I had the idea the day Jobs retired and I notice several IT and art directors at my company all in a buzz," Hulme told TheWrap. "I was observing that day how distractive his retirement was to the marketplace and I knew in my heart that his story was the film I wanted to do.

"We started the research and writing of the script just a few days later and never looked back," he said.

Stern is represented by 3 Arts and Kutcher is represented by Untitled Entertainment, but both are repped by CAA, which is handling the sale of the film's domestic rights.

Kutcher, who replaced Charlie Sheen on TV's "Two and A half Men," was most recently seen on the big screen in the ensemble comedy "New Year's Eve" and the romantic comedy "No Strings Attached." He has played dramatic film roles, in 2009's "Spread" and in Emilio Estevez's 2006 historical drama "Bobby."

Stern most recently directed Disney's 2008 election comedy "Swing Vote," which starred Kevin Costner. He is also attached to direct Stone Village's "Carnaval," a comedy with John Cusack and Johnny Knoxville.

Production is scheduled to begin in May, while Kutcher is on hiatus from "Two and a Half Men," no doubt hoping to get ahead of a another project about the Apple founder at Sony.

Last fall, Sony acquired the film rights to Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Jobs that was published soon after Jobs died on Oct. 5, 2011. 

Variety was first to report on the news.

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