Ashton Kutcher reportedly set to play Steve Jobs in upcoming biopic [Confirmed]

Is Ashton Kutcher set to play Steve Jobs’ role in an upcoming movie? The answer is yes, if Variety is to be believed – but is it? While the trade paper is usually a reference for all things movie, the fact that today is April’s Fools means that we will have to take the news with extra caution.

Yet, it is also way too early to dismiss the news as a joke. If it is one, the least we can say is that Variety’s Jeff Sneider is trying to get as many people as he can to play along. Over the last few hours, the film reporter published several tweets standing by the exclusive story, and insisting it is true:

We discussed holding it until Monday for fear of readers dismissing it as a joke, but felt it was too big a scoop to risk losing. It’s TRUE!

— Jeff Sneider (@TheInSneider) April 1, 2012

Other clues seem to confirm the news, starting with the fact that Variety’s competitor The Hollywood Reporter has now published a similar story, with additional details on the movie. According to THR, ‘Jobs’ will be an indie biopic on Steve Jobs’ “meteoric rise from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple.” Its director will be Joshua Michael Stern, and shooting is scheduled for May this year.

After all, the information in itself isn’t that absurd; the multi-hyphenate Ashton Kutcher is an actor, a celebrity and one of the startup world’s best known faces. More importantly to Apple fans and people who have met Steve Jobs in person, Two and a Half Men’s lead actor doesn’t look that different from the young Apple founder:

It is also worth noting that Sony is preparing a separate Jobs biopic, based on Walter Isaacson’s bestselling biography of Steve Jobs.

Update: Kutcher’s publicist confirmed the news on Tuesday.