Sony starts recruiting as the Wolf of Wall Street steps out

Oct 3, 2014 13:56 GMT  ·  By

Sony is having a hard time nabbing an actor that can do Aaron Sorkin’s Steve Jobs. They’ve got a list of top-class actors that they have to choose from, and one of them has recently stepped out of the race.

Leonardo DiCaprio willingly removed himself from the list of candidates to the role, as he decided to focus on shooting The Revenant. And after he finishes with that movie, he wants to take a break from acting. Hopefully not permanent.

From The Hollywood Reporter: “Now with DiCaprio out, the studio is eyeing a number of actors to take on the iconic tech figure, who has been both worshipped and reviled. Christian Bale, whom Fincher wanted for the title role, is on Sony’s wish list, as is Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper (though Affleck seems unlikely given that he just signed on for the thriller The Accountant).”

Depending on your personal taste in actors, you may prefer one over the others. Some high-profile names in the industry that are notably absent from this list include the brilliant Daniel Day-Lewis and the mercurial Cristoph Waltz.

Personally, I can see the latter nail this one better than any other name on that list. But the guy has a bit of an accent, which he may or may not be able to shake for a role that (clearly) involves a lot of chatter.

It’s not always easy to just pick an actor and have him / her play a part. Sometimes there are political hurdles, other times a director simply prefers an actor based on their personal taste, and vice versa, etc.