Less than two weeks after first entering talks to play the female lead in Universal's Steve Jobs biopic, Natalie Portman has backed out of the project. No details were given as to why she ultimately passed on the movie. No details were given for her character, but it was speculated that she would play Steve Jobs' daughter.

Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin revealed in November that Steve Jobs' daughter, Lisa Bennan-Jobs, is the "heroine" of this story. The Apple co-founder initially denied the paternity of his daughter, although they later reconciled and she spent her teenage years living with him. Lisa Bennan-Jobs did not participate in Walter Isaacson biography, which the adaptation is based on, but Aaron Sorkin revealed that he spent time with her while he was writing the screenplay. Steve Jobs also paid for his daughter to attend Harvard, which was around the same time that Natalie Portman herself was enrolled at the Ivy League college.

The story will revolve around three of Apple's biggest product launches the Mac, Apple NExT and the original iPod, with a majority of the plot taking place backstage before these events. Natalie Portman's character is said to have a pivotal role in the story, but her character's identity has not been confirmed yet. Universal is already meeting with other actresses for the part, with sources claiming Natalie Portman's departure will not affect the production schedule.

Danny Boyle is directing, with Scott Rudin, Christian Colson, Mark Gordon and Guymon Casady serving as producers. Shooting is scheduled to begin next spring.