Christian Bale has a long and impressive film resume–which holds everything from The Dark Knight to American Psycho–and, at this point, can probably afford to be picky about the projects he takes on. It also means that when directors are looking for a specific kind of actor, Bale will get the job without auditioning. That’s exactly what happened when it came time to cast a new biopic about Steve Jobs.

“What we needed was the best actor. He really is a phenomenal actor. He didn’t have to audition. He’s going to crush it,” screenwriter Aaron Sorkin said.

The role has already been inhabited by a few actors, including Ashton Kutcher, but Sorkin called it “an extremely difficult part” before praising Bale’s talents.

Before Bale can tackle the intimidating role, however, he’ll appear in Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings. The actor has drawn criticism recently for his take on Moses, calling him “barbaric”.

“I think the man was likely schizophrenic and was one of the most barbaric individuals that I ever read about in my life. He’s a very troubled and tumultuous man who fought greatly against God, against his calling,” he said.