Hassell Hired By Apple For "Jobs" Biopic

Eddie Hassell ("The Kids Are All Right") has joined the cast of the biopic about the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs titled "Jobs" says THR.

Matt Whiteley wrote the script that producer Mark Hulme says will focus on the early years of Apple, its founding by Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) and Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad), the up and down years from 1971 to 2000. The film itself is not based on one particular book though. Unlike a rival biopic in development based on Walter Isaacson's authorised biography and adapted by "The West Wing" creator and "The Social Network" writer Aaron Sorkin called Steve Jobs.

Hassell will play Chris Espinosa, employee No. 8 at Apple and who joined at the age of 14 in 1976 when the company was still housed in Jobs' parents' garage.

"The Help" star Ahna O'Reilly will play Chris-Ann Brennan, the Bay Area painter who was Jobs' first girlfriend and later gave birth to his daughter. Matthew Modine will play John Sculley, the man who recruited Jobs to lead Apple in 1983 and famously "fired" Jobs two years later. Sculley remained as Apple CEO from 1983 to 1993.

Jobs's died last fall after a battle with Pancreatic Cancer.

Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") will call action on the biopic which will be shot during Kutcher's hiatus from Two And A Half Men, Thus production is underway.

The film is intended for release late this year.