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  Twitter: Ashton Kutcher/Steve Jobs
  Ashton Kutcher will play Apple Boss Steve Jobs in new film

Ashton Kutcher has been cast to portray the late Steve Jobs in an upcoming biopic film written by Matt Whiteley and directed by Joshua Michael Stern.

The "Two and a Half Men" star will take on the iconic role of the Apple founder in the independent film "Jobs," which focuses on Jobs' transformation from hippie to co-founder of Apple, according to CNN Money.

Jobs, who passed away in October after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, has been widely recognized as having one of the most creative and innovative minds over the past decade and his creative brilliance will undoubtedly be a part of the film's focus.

Kutcher, 33, has frequently been in the media since his divorce from Demi Moore was announced late last year following allegations that he had cheated with 23-year-old executive assistant Sara Leal.

Critics immediately took to Twitter once news broke about Kutcher's latest role, and the response was overwhelmingly negative.

"Really? Poor choice IMHO. Ashton Kutcher to play Apple founder in Steve Jobs biopic http://gu.com/p/36tce/tw," Michael Jacobs tweeted.

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"Kutcher as Steve Jobs in upcoming film http://vrge.co/HLA40m - We'll see if he can pull of the genius part," James Johnson tweeted.

"Wow. Ashton Kutcher will play Steve Jobs in a new film. I can't wait to not watch that," J. Shawn Durham tweeted.

Filming will begin in May, and Kutcher is expected to take extended time off from film "Two and a Half Men" to focus on "Jobs."

Sony recently purchased the film rights to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs that was published soon after Jobs died.

Stern is best known for his work on the 2008 film "Swing Vote," which starred Hollywood actor Kevin Costner.