Jesse Eisenberg will not be reprising his role as contentious Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg in the forthcoming sequel to David Fincher’s 2010 drama The Social Network.
While Eisenberg’s portrayal of the tech businessman and computer programmer earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, he will officially be succeeded by Jeremy Strong in the new picture, The Social Reckoning.
Strong, 46, was first tipped to take over the role last month. The Emmy-winning Succession star will be joined by The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White, Oscar-winning Anora actor Mikey Madison, and comedian Bill Burr.
Aaron Sorkin, who wrote the screenplay for the original movie, helmed by David Fincher, has for years been teasing a long-awaited sequel to the docudrama about Facebook’s origin.
It was finally confirmed in June that Sorkin would be writing and directing the follow-up, which will be based on the Wall Street Journal’s “The Facebook Files” series, an investigation into the world’s largest social media platform.
The 2021 report revealed that the company knew its platform endangered teens’ mental health and fueled the spread of misinformation, yet it prioritized profit over safety.
Madison will play former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, the whistleblower who went to The Wall Street Journal with information, and White will play Jeff Horwitz, the journalist who broke the story.
Production is expected to begin next month, according to Variety.
In April 2024, Sorkin spoke about his plans for the sequel, saying he was interested in examining Facebook’s role in spreading “divisive material.”
“Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible, because that is what will increase engagement,” he said on The Town podcast.
“That is what will get you to, what they call inside the hallways of Facebook, ‘the infinite scroll,’” Sorkin said. “There’s supposed to be a constant tension at Facebook between growth and integrity. There isn’t; there’s just growth.”
The Social Network was released in 2010 and followed the creation of Facebook. Alongside Eisenberg, it starred Andrew Garfield as Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin and Justin Timberlake as Napster creator Sean Parker.
The film was a critical and commercial success, grossing over $224 million worldwide and winning several Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Sorkin.
The Social Reckoning will be released in theaters October 9, 2026.
