Steve Jobs' Widow Tried to Stop New Movie From Being Made

The new Steve Jobs biopic has had a long journey to the screen, with multiple stars, directors, and producers attached to it over the last few years. A new report suggests that Jobs' widow was a big reason that the film took so long to be made.

In a lengthy article on the making of the film, The Hollywood Reporter has quoted an anonymous "key player" in the production. He told the paper: "Since the very beginning, Laurene Jobs has been trying to kill this movie ... Laurene Jobs called Leo DiCaprio and said: 'Don't do it.' Laurene Jobs called Christian Bale and said: 'Don't [do it].'"

These quotes were backed up by a source at Sony, who at one time was going to produce the film before it passed to Universal. "She reached out. She had a strong desire not to have the movie made," the source said. "But we said: 'We're going to move forward.' My understanding is, she did call one or two of the actors."

Steve Jobs, which stars Michael Fassbender as the tech pioneer, has been the centre of controversy for several weeks. Last month, Tim Cook, the current Apple CEO, described the film as "opportunistic." More recently, Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, spoke about the effect that Danny Boyle's film had on people close to the real life Jobs.

"There are sons and daughters and widows and very close friends that are completely bemused and completely upset," he commented at the Vanity Fair New Establishment Summit, as reported by The Verge. "We're remembering and celebrating Steve Jobs' life and at the same time there is this perfectly timed movie and I don't recognize this person."

Boyle himself weighed in on the subject during a Q&A following a screening of the film in New York. "This guy is one of the most important figures in our lives and many, many more people's lives to come," he said, via Forbes. "We have got to examine these people, either in a big political way or in a personal way, which this one tries to do. Government and lawmakers are fearful of them and you can sense that. These corporations are so powerful and extraordinary in the way that they influence our lives."

Steve Jobs opens this weekend, and also stars Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, and Jeff Daniels.