Steve Jobs's widow 'begged' Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale not to take on biopic role

'Since the very beginning, Laurene Jobs has been trying to kill this movie, OK?'

(Universal Pictures)

Steve Jobs’s widow, Lauren Jobs, reportedly attempted to kill the upcoming biopic, calling up stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale to beg them not to play her husband.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, an unnamed 'key player' in the making of the film said: “Since the very beginning, Laurene Jobs has been trying to kill this movie, OK?

“Laurene Jobs called Leo DiCaprio and said, 'Don't do it.' Laurene Jobs called Christian Bale and said, 'Don't [do it].’”

Both actors were reportedly offered the role, which was eventually taken by Michael Fassbender.

An unnamed Sony executive confirmed that: “She reached out; she had a strong desire not to have the movie made. But we said, 'We're going to move forward.' My understanding is, she did call one or two of the actors.”

Laurene’s character does not figure in the film yet his daughter, Lisa Brennan-Jobs, from another relationship, plays a prominent role.

Apple design Chief Jony Ive previously commented that other family members and friends had been upset by the movie, telling a conference in San Francisco: “There are sons and daughters and widows and very close friends that are completely bemused and completely upset.”

There have been numerous controversies surrounding the biopic, one of which centred on a spat between screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and Apple CEO Tim Cook.

According to reports, Cook had made a remark regarding the recent spate of films centred on Jobs - Ashton Kutcher having starred in the critically slammed 2013 film, Jobs - with Sorkin retorting “if you've got a factory full of children in China assembling phones for 17 cents an hour, you've got a lot of nerve calling someone else opportunistic.” He later regretted the comment, saying that they had perhaps taken their feud “too far”.

Steve Jobs reaches UK cinemas on 13 November after its screening at the BFI London Film Festival on 18 October.