Aaron Sorkin has finally agreed to write the biopic about Steve Jobs. So he’s obviously started work on the script, right? Wrong.

“It’s a process of procrastination, where you’re trying to figure out where the movie is going,” Sorkin said at the AllThingsD conference. OK, well – does he have an idea about how he’s going to go about it? Yes.

Sorkin doesn’t want to do a life story about Jobs. No no, he wants to “identify the point of friction that appeals to [him] and dramatize that.” That sounds good to me. He’s going to identify the most drama in Jobs’ life and use that. He’s going to build the story around that. Like, hm, The Social Network did with Mark Zuckerberg.

He also said that the movie is going to be a painting of Jobs, not a photograph. What does this mean? Well, it’s an interpretation of Jobs and his life rather than a recreation. Recreations don’t make good stories, after all.

Sorkin also says that he sees a minefield of disappointment from Jobs fans crying or criticizing every decision he makes, much like his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. “It’s a little like writing about The Beatles,” Sorkin said at the conference.

The master screenwriter also noted that the actor who portrayed Jobs would have to be able to talk fast and be smart. “Intelligence is something actors can’t fake,” Sorkin said. Also, a neat nugget that’s emerged recently: Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has signed on to as both a technical and character advisor for the film. [TechCrunch, Deadline via /Film]

Steve Jobs