ACTOR Michael Fassbender has become a front-runner for next year’s best actor Oscar after an early cut of his new Steve Jobs biopic was screened in the United States.

    “He completely owns the screen,” said Variety, despite his character being “very unlikeable throughout” the film.

    “You get the strong sense from Fassbender of a mind that is always several steps beyond everyone else’s,” agreed The Hollywood Reporter.

    British director Danny Boyle is expected to premiere the completed version at the New York Film Festival on Oct. 3. The film will also close the London Film Festival on Oct. 18.

    Co-starring Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen and Jeff Daniels, it is the most high-profile of half-a-dozen films and documentaries about the Apple founder.

    The film was written by Aaron Sorkin, who previously dramatized the life of Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network.”(SD-Agencies)