iCan Act: 5 Actors We'd Rather See Play Steve Jobs

As widely reported this week, That '70s Show doofus Kelso (better known as Ashton Kutcher) has been cast in a new indie feature based on the life of Steve Jobs. Okay, so looking at some pictures side by side, the guy does resemble Jobs -- especially in his younger days. But that got us thinking: Are there better actors who could play Steve Jobs?

Hollywood is going crazy for late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, with not one but two feature films now being developed on the enigmatic CEO's life. While the first of these -- aptly titled Jobs -- appears to already be a lock with former Demi Moore spouse Ashton Kutcher in the title role, Sony continues to develop what's likely to be the real thing: A biopic culled directly from Walter Isaacson's official biography on Steve Jobs.

Despite Kutcher being a celebrity both in Hollywood as well as Silicon Valley, we won't profess to be fans of the guy -- so here's a short list of people we'd rather see in Sony's forthcoming film, including one actor who's already got two appearances as Steve Jobs on his resumé.

Steve's Dark Side: Christian Bale

Many of us already consider Steve Jobs a superhero, so why not go straight to Batman himself? Sure, he's a Brit but as an actor, he's dedicated enough to his craft to gain or lose weight for roles, which is certainly going to be a requirement for accurately portraying Jobs' life. Bale and Jobs also share a common personality trait: Being prone to temperamental outbursts.

Steve's Charisma: George Clooney

He may not bear the closest resemblance to Steve Jobs, but George Clooney can certainly match the Apple CEO's charisma and then some. And hey, it doesn't hurt that, like Bale, he also played Batman once -- even if it was in the ill-fated Batman & Robin, which certainly had enough else wrong with it for Clooney to escape the blame. The former ER hunk shared plenty of screen time there with Noah Wyle, who has already portrayed Jobs, so perhaps some of that mojo rubbed off on him as well. The rumor mill has been churning that Clooney may actually be up for the lead role in Sony's flick, so it may not be as crazy as you might think.

Steve's Long-Lost Brother: Stanley Tucci

It's about time that Stanley Tucci got a shot at leading man material after nearly 100 supporting roles in other films and TV shows. He's definitely got those Jobsian eyes and even the child-like smile down pat, and in many versatile performances he's already got a hint of Steve Jobs' delivery style. All that's missing is the black turtleneck and blue jeans!

Steve's Sex Appeal: Ryan Gosling

From handsome heartthrob to iCEO? Canadian-born Ryan Gosling is certainly a hot property in Hollywood these days and it certainly doesn't hurt that he makes all the girls swoon -- after all, a Steve Jobs biopic is already a lock for the mostly male tech geeks, but the few of them with girlfriends will need a good excuse to buy those tickets. Make no mistake: Ryan Gosling puts the fannies in the seats (as it were), which Sony will definitely be banking come that all-important opening weekend. He may not be a dead ringer for Jobs, but we think he can pull it off just the same. And hey, he co-starred in The Ides of March with George Clooney (who also directed), so some of the mojo that rubbed off Noah Wyle might have also spilled onto Gosling. You never know...

Third Time's a Charm: Noah Wyle

The 1999 TNT TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley may not a masterpiece, but for computer geeks, it was a stroke of genius casting to put Anthony Michael Hall in the Bill Gates role and slip ER's Noah Wyle into Steve Jobs' shoes (or sandals, as was the case for a big chunk of the movie). Seeing these two actors portraying the twin titans of tech in that flick is almost as spine-tingling as witnessing a rare public appearance of Jobs and Gates together in real life.

So why not come back for seconds -- or rather, thirds, considering that the real Steve Jobs actually invited Wyle to portray him during the 1999 Apple keynote in New York City during Macworld, where the CEO quipped, "he's a better me than me!" before asking for a cameo on Wyle's hit TV show.

Unfortunately, ER ended its reign back in 2009 and Wyle hasn't done much since aside from a couple of direct-to-video features and last year's TV series Falling Skies, which returns for a second season this summer. Without a star currently burning bright, Hollywood tends to turn a blind eye to such actors, but a plum role as Steve Jobs (again) could be just the thing to lift Wyle back into the limelight -- especially if Sony invites Anthony Michael Hall back as Bill Gates (hint, hint)…

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