Actor Ashton Kutcher was cast to play Steve Jobs in a biopic about the co-founder and former chief executive of U.S. technology company Apple. He died last October aged 56.

In honor, remembrance and cerebration of his life, Jobs, an independent film will begin shooting in May. The movie will be based on a script by Matt Whiteley and will be directed by Joshua Michael Stern, best known for his 2008 film Swing Vote.

Kutcher, 34, replaced Charlie Sheen in the U.S. sitcom Two and a Half Men last year. He is scheduled to shoot the movie during the TV series' production hiatus.

His recent credits include the romantic comedies No Strings Attached, What Happens in Vegas, Valentine's Day and New Year's Eve.

Sony Pictures Studios is also developing another movie project about Jobs based on the 2011 biography by Walter Isaacson.

Before his death, Jobs was depicted by former ER actor Noah Wyle in the 1999 production Pirates of Silicon Valley.