Aaron Sorkin's Steve Jobs Biopic: Three 30-Minute Scenes Taking Place Before Three Product Launches

Aaron Sorkin, screenwriter of the movie based on Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography, has shared some details behind the structure of the upcoming film.

NewImage
Speaking from The Daily Beast's Hero Summit, Sorkin disclosed that the entire movie "is going to be 3 scenes, and take place in real-time." Further, each of the three 30-minute scenes will take place backstage before a major product launch.

Sorkin has previously noted that biography screenwriters frequently have difficulty overcoming a "cradle-to-grave structure".

"Drama is tension versus obstacle. Someone wants something, something is standing in their way of getting it. They want the money, they want the girl, they want to get to Philadelphia - doesn't matter ... And I need to find that event and I will. I just don't know what it is," Sorkin said.

With the movie laid out in this real-time format, Sorkin seems to have written a rather unique film. It seems likely that the three major product releases that Sorkin is referring to will be the original Macintosh in 1984, the iMac in 1998, and the iPhone in 2007.

Update: According to Baba Shetty, the CEO of Newsweek, Sorkin mentioned the launches of the original Mac, the NeXT cube, and the iPod.

Update 2: The Daily Beast has posted the video of Sorkin's interview, with the Steve Jobs segment beginning around 22:30 and continuing through the end.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Coming Soon With These 8 New Features on Your iPhone

Thursday December 11, 2025 8:49 am PST by
Apple seeded the second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to developers earlier this week, meaning the update will be released to the general public very soon. Apple confirmed iOS 26.2 would be released in December, but it did not provide a specific date. We expect the update to be released by early next week. iOS 26.2 includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, such as a new...
Google maps feaure

Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers

Wednesday December 10, 2025 2:52 am PST by
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

Apple to Make More Foldable iPhones Than Expected [Updated]

Tuesday December 9, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple has ordered 22 million OLED panels from Samsung Display for the first foldable iPhone, signaling a significantly larger production target than the display industry had previously anticipated, ET News reports. In the now-seemingly deleted report, ET News claimed that Samsung plans to mass-produce 11 million inward-folding OLED displays for Apple next year, as well as 11 million...
iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3

Thursday December 11, 2025 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3 and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B30, up from 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 firmware is 8B28, up from 8B21. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3 are getting expanded support for Live Translation in the European Union in iOS...
AirTag 2 Mock Feature

Apple AirTag 2: Four New Features Found in iOS 26 Code

Thursday December 11, 2025 10:31 am PST by
The AirTag 2 will include a handful of new features that will improve tracking capabilities, according to a new report from Macworld. The site says that it was able to access an internal build of iOS 26, which includes references to multiple unreleased products. Here's what's supposedly coming: An improved pairing process, though no details were provided. AirTag pairing is already...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
ipad blue prime day

iPad 12 Rumored to Get iPhone 17's A19 Chip, Breaking Apple Tradition

Wednesday December 10, 2025 12:22 pm PST by
The next-generation low-cost iPad will use Apple's A19 chip, according to a report from Macworld. Macworld claims to have seen an "internal Apple code document" with information about the 2026 iPad lineup. Prior documentation discovered by MacRumors suggested that the iPad 12 would be equipped with an A18 chip, not an A19 chip. The A19 chip was just released this year in the iPhone 17, and...
studio display purple

Apple Studio Display 2 Code Hints at 120Hz ProMotion, HDR, A19 Chip

Thursday December 11, 2025 4:19 am PST by
Apple's next-generation Studio Display is expected to arrive early next year, and a new report allegedly provides a couple more details on the external monitor's capabilities. According to internal Apple code seen by Macworld, the new external display will feature a variable refresh rate capable of up to 120Hz – aka ProMotion – as well as support for HDR content. The current Studio...

Top Rated Comments

BornAgainMac Avatar
171 months ago
I want to see the Mobile Me meeting.
Score: 39 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Patriot24 Avatar
171 months ago
Good to see all of the writers and directors of MacRumors coming out to weigh in here. Sorkin clearly has no idea how to write good stories and produce great works.

oh.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mal Avatar
171 months ago
I actually really like this idea. The thought of getting a feeling for what Jobs was like before each of those major launches (without a doubt the most significant points in Jobs' career) is really intriguing. I have a feeling I'll enjoy seeing this, unless it's just really poorly done.

jW
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
extradryny Avatar
171 months ago
I'm intrigued, mostly because I agree with Sorkin on the trouble with cradle-to-grave biopics. They only seem to work when the the character is fictional, like Forrest Gump or Jesus Christ.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
frayne182 Avatar
171 months ago
Sounds terrible.


Make it in the format Social Network is and make it dramatic.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8CoreWhore Avatar
171 months ago
That's not a biopic, it's a triopic.

Look, 2 hour biopics suck. You can't cram the story in there. If people really want a biopic, they'll read the book.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)