Christian Bale won't play Steve Jobs

Christian Bale, best known for playing Bruce Wayne and Batman, won't be trying on Steve Jobs' black mock-turtleneck.

• Hollywood Reporter: Christian Bale declines role of Steve Jobs


• Film about Apple co-founder's life has been in works for two years


• Movie is written by Aaron Sorkin, to be directed by Danny Boyle

(CNN) -- Scratch Christian Bale off the list of actors supposed to play Steve Jobs.

Bale was rumored to be the finalist to play the Apple co-founder in the Aaron Sorkin-written film biography but decided he wasn't right for the part, said The Hollywood Reporter.

The Jobs biopic has been in the works since at least 2012, when Sony announced that Sorkin would write a film based on Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography.

Christian Bale's Oscar-worthy scene?

Bale is the second notable performer to turn down the Jobs role. Leonardo DiCaprio was also pegged for the film. The Hollywood Reporter noted that neither Bale nor DiCaprio had begun negotiations.

For Robert Downey Jr., it pays to be "Iron Man." Downey has been crowned Hollywood's highest-paid actor by Forbes magazine for the second year in a row, with an estimated haul of $75 million within the past year alone. Find out who else is playing in his league:

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is "Hercules" this summer, but he's been pretty busy lately, starring in no less than five films in 2013. For his hard work, Forbes estimates the wrestler-turned-actor earned around $52 million.

Bradley Cooper, center, has earned both the money and critical accolades over the past year. In 2013, he did another installment of the popular "Hangover" franchise (with Ed Helms, left, and Zach Galifianakis), but then he also took on the more acclaimed "American Hustle." Between June 2013 and June 2014, Cooper earned roughly $46 million, enough to debut on Forbes' list.

Leonardo DiCaprio still didn't win an Oscar in 2013, but he has enough money to go "The Wolf of Wall Street" if he wanted. Despite cutting his upfront fee to get "Wolf" made, DiCaprio earned an estimated $39 million over the past 12 months, Forbes reports. Here he plays the title role in "J. Edgar," the 2011 bio of the FBI chief.

Chris Hemsworth's reign as Thor comes with a princely sum. The Australian actor, here with co-star Natalie Portman, is in the top five of Forbes' highest-paid actors list this year, earning an estimated $37 million.

Liam Neeson is taking action movies such as "Taken" all the way to the bank. After releasing "Taken 2" in 2012, Neeson didn't act much in 2013 -- there were "Third Person" and "Khumba" -- but he still saw $36 million between June 2013 and June 2014. And "Taken 3"? It's lined up for 2015.

Ben Affleck splits his time in front of and behind the camera, but he can still command a pretty penny as an actor. Forbes estimates the Oscar winner (here in "Argo") made $35 million in the past year. He's now playing Batman in "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

"The Dark Knight's" Christian Bale may have left hero work behind in 2013 in favor of riskier fare such as "Out of the Furnace" and "American Hustle," but he still made an estimated $35 million. To see more actors who made the cut, visit Forbes.com.

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Forbes' highest-paid actors

Photos: Forbes' highest-paid actors

According to Variety, Seth Rogen is being talked about for the part of Steve Wozniak, Jobs' Apple co-founder.

The film is to be directed by Danny Boyle, who won an Oscar for "Slumdog Millionaire." Filming was scheduled to begin this winter.