When Aaron Sorkin wrote Mark Zuckerberg back into a film, he assumed the actor who made the role famous would return too. Jesse Eisenberg had other ideas. Sorkin has now described preparing arguments to persuade him to sign on to The Social Reckoning, the follow-up to The Social Network, before Jeremy Strong ultimately took the part.
Variety reports that Sorkin met Eisenberg while he was still finishing the script and told him he would send it soon. Sorkin said he had not imagined the answer might be no. He even prepared an outline for their conversations — an unusual step for him — explaining the scenes Eisenberg would get to play and why he thought the actor should do it.
The actor did not return. In comments Variety cites, Eisenberg said he was moving in another direction and did not want to be associated with the Zuckerberg character again. That is his stated reason; it would be unfair to turn the decision into a feud or a verdict on the new film. Sorkin said money was not persuasive to Eisenberg either.
The casting matters because Eisenberg's performance helped define The Social Network in 2010. A returning actor would have given audiences an immediate link between the two films. Strong, known to many viewers from Succession, offers a different take on the same public figure. That makes this follow-up interesting even before its story reaches the screen.
The Social Reckoning is scheduled for cinemas on 9 October, according to Variety. Its cast also includes Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Billy Magnussen and Bill Burr. The first film won three Oscars from eight nominations, including one for Sorkin’s adapted screenplay. The new film has a familiar writer and character, but viewers should expect a fresh performance rather than Eisenberg replaying his 2010 role.
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