Aaron Sorkin is returning to the world of Facebook for The Social Network Part II. While the Oscar-winning screenwriter wants another crack at Meta, the star of The Social Network would prefer to leave it in the past.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Jesse Eisenberg has passed on reprising the role of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Eisenberg earned an Academy Award nomination for playing the Facebook co-founder in The Social Network. It’s unknown if Eisenberg’s decision to pass is a negotiating tactic or not.
With Eisenberg out, Emmy winner Jeremy Strong is circling the role of Zuckerberg in The Social Network Part II. Strong’s potential casting comes one day after the news that Mikey Madison and Jeremy Strong are also considering roles in the sequel.
The sequel is based on The Facebook Files, a 2021 Wall Street Journal investigation conducted by Jeff Horowitz. White would play Horowitz, while Madison would star as Frances Haugen, the whistleblower who brought the information to the Wall Street Journal.
THR’s report indicates that no offers have been made to the actors, and the film remains in development. However, Sorkin’s sequel is a “top priority” for Sony.
Sorkin will write and direct The Social Network Part II. The movie is not considered a direct sequel but rather a follow-up to 2010’s The Social Network, as it explores Facebook’s meteoric rise to become one of the world’s biggest social media platforms.
The WSJ report exposed the inner mechanics of Facebook and the negative role it played in the age of misinformation. While not billed as a “January 6” movie, Sorkin did tell Puck’s Matt Belloni last year that the sequel will explore Facebook’s role in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Sorkin, Peter Rice, Todd Black, and Stuart Besser are producing the sequel.
Directed by David Fincher, The Social Network is widely viewed as one of the greatest movies of the century. The movie received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Fincher), and Best Actor (Eisenberg). It won three: Best Adapted Screenplay (Sorkin), Best Film Editing (Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter), and Best Original Score (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross).
