Jesse Eisenberg says he spoke with Aaron Sorkin about why he turned down reprising Mark Zuckerberg in the upcoming sequel, and insists his reasons weren’t about the film’s quality. The Social Reckoning will shift focus to whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Jeff
Jesse Eisenberg didn’t just say no to Mark Zuckerberg once. On June 28, he explained—again—why he and the character he helped make famous still don’t belong together.
Speaking on the red carpet in Los Angeles for the Minions & Monsters premiere. Eisenberg reiterated what Aaron Sorkin previously shared about his decision not to reprise the role in the upcoming sequel to The Social Network (2010). It wasn’t a quick conversation. Eisenberg described talking it through with Sorkin for several days.
“Aaron Sorkin — it’s an honor to speak to Aaron in any capacity. because he’s so articulate and charming and so bright. and we talked about doing the movie for several days as he said. ” Eisenberg told Variety on the red carpet. “You know. the way Aaron speaks is — he speaks so wonderfully. as he writes. that you know. if you’re not gonna do something with him it feels almost like you’re letting down America.”.
Then he moved to the heart of his refusal. “I just told him I’m kind of moving in new directions in my life. He summed it up nicely. I don’t want to be associated with that character. but all of my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how wonderful the movie is and will be. and I’m sure is already.”.
Sorkin had already been clear about what he was looking for. In an interview with Vanity Fair published earlier this month, the screenwriter said he wanted to cast Eisenberg again, calling him “battle-tested.”
“I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested,” Sorkin said.
He added that Eisenberg “simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore. ” and described why the resemblance had become a problem for Eisenberg in real life. Sorkin said Eisenberg doesn’t like kids approaching him in airports with business cards that say “I’m CEO. b****” for him to sign.
For The Social Reckoning, Sorkin returns as screenwriter, while also taking over the role of director from David Fincher.
The new film will center less on the Meta founder and more on whistleblowers Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz. This time around, Jeremy Strong will play Zuckerberg. Mikey Madison—seen in Anora—will portray Haugen, while Jeremy Allen White—known from The Bear—will play Horwitz.
The film is slated for release on October 9, and its cast also includes Betty Gilpin and Billy Magnussen.
Eisenberg’s original Zuckerberg work came in The Social Network (2010), which starred Andrew Garfield, Sorkin himself, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Dakota Johnson, Rashida Jones, Rooney Mara, and Brenda Song.
While Eisenberg won’t reprise the role, he is appearing in Minions & Monsters, where he voices Dort. The children’s film also includes voice performances from Zoey Deutch, Allison Janney, and Jeff Bridges.
Jesse Eisenberg Aaron Sorkin The Social Network sequel The Social Reckoning Mark Zuckerberg Minions & Monsters Variety Vanity Fair Jeremy Strong Mikey Madison Jeremy Allen White David Fincher Betty Gilpin Billy Magnussen