The New York Times reports that Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die website has created a 60-75 minute movie “very loosely” based on Steve Jobs’ life. This will mark the longest project to date for the site which is famous for its short comedy clips. Justin Long, he of the Mac vs. PC ad campaigns, will portray Jobs. The movie is set for an April 15th online release.
The New York Times, via MacRumors:
“In true Internet fashion, it’s not based on very thorough research — essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs Wikipedia page,” said Ryan Perez, who wrote and directed “iSteve.” “It’s very silly. But it looks at his whole life.”
Making fun of Mr. Jobs, the Apple co-founder who died in 2011 and who is considered a deity by many people (at least in the tech world), is a risky proposition, even if done gently. But Allison Hord, who produced “iSteve,” said the tone was such that “even the harshest fanboy critics will be able to laugh with us.”
We were kicking around the idea of making a fake Steve Jobs movie trailer, and as often happens in a writers’ room, the joke kind of escalated,” said Hord.
The script for the biopic spoof was written in three days, and filmed in five. Perez joked to The Times that “we might not be the best, but we will be the first.”
Two other movies about Jobs’ life, hopefully more faithful to true events, will be released in the near future. “Jobs,” which stars Ashton Kutcher, and a second film based on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs which is being written by Aaron Sorkin.
