HOLLYWOOD - Michael Fassbender has reportedly been picked to star as Apple visionary Steve Jobs in a biopic to be made by Universal Pictures.

The studio acquired the project less than a week after Sony Corp put it up for sale, reported Bloomberg, quoting a Universal spokesman.

The film is based on the 2011 Walter Isaacson biography Steve Jobs.

The film had seen many changes in its cast and production team. Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale quit the film after being involved in talks.

Fassbender, star of Shame (2011) and 12 Years A Slave (2013), is now attached to the Universal project, said The Hollywood Reporter on Monday.

Danny Boyle, of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) fame, is directing from a script by Aaron Sorkin, after the project was first linked to David Fincher of The Social Network (2010).

Sony last week dropped plans for the movie.

A source told Bloomberg that producers had wanted to press ahead on a faster schedule than the studio could accommodate.