The first biopic about the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, 2013′s Jobs, came into fruition fairly quickly following Jobs’ passing in October 2011; screenwriter Aaron Sorkin‘s (The Social Network) Jobs movie, by comparison, has been progressing much slower. Things seemed to finally be gaining momentum in recent weeks, though, as Christian Bale and Seth Rogen lined up to portray Jobs and his former partner Steve Wozniak, respectively, under Danny Boyle’s direction.

Now, however, Boyle’s take on the tech icon’s life has yet another hurdle to clear, as Bale has dropped out. The development is somewhat surprising since it was just two weeks ago when Sorkin broke the news of Bale’s involvement in an interview, enthusiastically claiming that the team had found the “best actor” for what is a challenging part.

According to THR, Bale (after much thought) determined he was not the proper thespian for the role of Jobs and decided to leave. As for what exactly gave him that idea is anyone’s guess. The odd thing about this is that many shared Sorkin’s sentiments and believed Bale would have been perfect for the film, given that he has demonstrated an uncanny ability to change mannerisms, body types, and accents on a dime to truly inhabit the characters he’s playing. His method-style of acting theoretically would have translated well to the project, and perhaps have been another award-winning performance for Bale.

Sorkin’s script, which is based on Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs, is split into three, roughly 30-minute scenes that play out in real time. The sequences detail the behind-the-scenes happenings prior to the official launches of the first Macintosh computer, the NeXT computer, and the original iPod. He’s said that the actor who plays Jobs will say “more words in this movie than most people say in three movies combined,” which means it will be an arduous undertaking for whoever takes Bale’s place.

With the former Batman now gone, discussion will turn to who will be Boyle’s leading man. After DiCaprio departed, Sony made public a wish list that included other A-listers like Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, and Bradley Cooper. With no indication on who the filmmakers are targeting, it’s plausible that they’ll try to recruit someone from that group.

Affleck and Damon are most likely out of the running since Boyle is aiming to start shooting this winter; scheduling issues for both actors (due to such projects as Batman V Superman, The Accountant, The Martian, etc.) will prevent them from joining. So as it stands right now, Cooper may become the go-to guy for Sony, since his planner isn’t nearly so packed as his competition.

He’s not quite Bale when it comes to being consumed by his roles, but Cooper is still a very talented actor (one generating a lot of buzz for Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper right now); give him strong material, and he can handle it. Expect to hear more on this story soon, as Boyle is meeting with actors in order get the ball rolling in the very near future.

We’ll keep you updated on the untitled Steve Jobs biopic as more information becomes available.