Before “Jobs”: The Films That Captured The Apple Visionary

Editor’s note: This post was originally published by our partners at PopSugar Tech.

Mix one part college dropout, two parts entrepreneurial spirit, three parts vision . . . and you’ve got a one-of-a-kind Steve Jobs. The movie starring Ashton Kutcher as the Apple visionary, Jobs, hits theaters Aug. 16. Apple’s iconic founder was a highly influential and — for the relentless work ethic he expected of himself and his employees — controversial figure in the tech industry, which is why his story makes for such compelling film fodder. Before you see the biopic, look at the former, future, and current attempts at capturing the personal and professional life of Jobs on screen.

Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview  

In 1995, a former Apple employee-turned-tech journalist sat down with Steve to discuss his early career and vision for renewing the company. Seventeen years later, the entire in-depth interview has been released, featuring over an hour of the then-CEO of NeXT Computer and Pixar.

Pirates of Silicon Valley

The made-for-TV film, starring Noah Wyle as Steve Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates, is a look at the young founders and the fight to control the personal computer market. It’s one of our all-time geeky movie faves and a must watch for those interested in the development of tech’s biggest companies. 

Jobs

The biopic starring Ashton Kutcher as the Apple founder and Josh Gad, who plays Steve Wozniak, was set to hit theaters April 19 but was delayed until this week’s wide release When this clip surfaced in January, after premiering at Sundance, our readers were split: 42 percent were excited to see Ashton in this role of a lifetime, and 58 percent thought the former That ’70s Show star is not the right actor to play Jobs.

Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad at Macworld

We did get to hear about the experience of making the film from Ashton himself at this year’s 2013 Macworld Expo. The actor discussed his geek cred and talked about playing one of his heroes.

Aaron Sorkin Biopic

Back in 2011, we found out that Sony Pictures acquired the rights to Jobs’s authorized biography, written by Walter Isaacson. Aaron Sorkin, writer of The Social Network, was picked to spearhead the film, which will focus on the backstage drama of Apple’s famed product launches. Sorkin’s version will reportedly feature three 30-minute scenes presented in real time.

iSteve

In iSteve, a parody starring Justin Long, watch 60 minutes of “the most poorly researched biopic of any person ever” (their words).

Images and video courtesy of Getty, MacWorld/iWorld

See Also: Steve Jobs: The Least Disruptive Entrepreneur Ever

More stories from PopSugar Tech:
Hyperloop by the Numbers: Decoding Elon Musk’s Vision For the Future
Tour the TARDIS! See the Blue Box From Both Sides of the Pond
Whether It’s Bass or Budget, the Best Headphones For Every Listener
Stargazing: the Best Shots of the Perseid Meteor Show
How to Avoid Spoilers During Heisenberg’s Return to TV