Indie Steve Jobs biopic being rushed through production, will it flop?

An indie Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher is reportedly being rushed through production, with principal photography scheduled to start next month so that the project could hopefully be ready for a fourth-quarter release.

They are actually hoping to get it out ahead of Sony’s upcoming flix about Steve Jobs and Apple, according to the movie’s producer.

But does an independent movie starring a comedic actor in a serious role have what it takes to beat a multi-million dollar project, based on Walter Isaacson’s authorized biography of Apple’s co-founder and backed by one of Hollywood’s most powerful studios?

Movie producer Mark Hulme revealed in a chat with Neowin a working title of the project. It’s apparently being referred to internally as Jobs: Get Inspired. Here’s to the hoping the producers change the final title. They are scheduled to begin filming in May, primarily in Los Angeles, with the hope of making it into the all-important holiday quarter slot.

Distribution deals are currently being worked on, the producer said. Hulme also defended their pick of Ashton Kutcher (apparently a Steve Jobs and Apple fan) by stressing the actor “was immediately attracted to the project” upon reading the script.

He added:

Since our film covers the early years of Apple, when Jobs was in his 20’s, we needed an actor who could carry not only the youthfulness of Jobs at the time but also the psychological complexity. Because of that, and Ashton’s physical similarities to Jobs, he’s perfect for our film.

A number of other prominent characters will be featured in the move, Hulme said, including Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Mike Markkula and Daniel Kottke.

Kutcher told The Daily he felt the role was meant to him. He allegedly canceled all projects to focus on the role.

Kutcher, 34, made a name for himself in Hollywood by playing Michael Kelso in a 1970s sitcom. His recent gig includes CBS hit sitcom Two and Half Men where he plays Walden Schmidt. He is expected to jump in as the young Jobs in between seasons.

But will the actor deliver?

Not everyone thinks so.

Buster Heine, writing for Cult of Mac, isn’t convinced. He opined:

Jobs: Get Inspired, will be produced by a guy with no Hollywood experience, scripted by an unknown writer, with a director who has only made crappy movies despite working with great actors. It will star an actor who is known more for his relationship with an aging Hollywood cougar than his romantic comedies, and it is being rushed through production they can finish the film before Sony’s big budget Steve Jobs film steals publicity.

By all accounts, Jobs: Get Inspired will pass on the opportunity to explore the darker aspects of Jobs’ personality, unlike the Pirates of Silicon Valley, released in 1999.

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Another facet to it is the fact that the Jobs: Get Inspired project apparently focuses on the period of 1971-2000, already well covered in the Pirates of Silicon Valley. It also remains to be seen whether Kutcher can top Noah Wyle’s portrayal of Jobs’ mercurial demeanor and his famous personality tantrums.

Impressed by his performance, Jobs invited Wyle to kickstart the 1999 MacWorld Expo, which can be seen below. The actor even made an on-stage reference to the job interview scene depicted in the Pirates of Silicon Valley.

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What do you think, is Jobs: Get Inspired going to succeed commercially or is it going to flop? Does the world really need two different Steve Jobs movies in the same year?

Chime in with you thoughts down in the comments.