Aaron Sorkin wanted Jesse Eisenberg to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg for the follow-up to "The Social Network," but he refused. The Aaron Sorkin Says He Couldn’t Convince Jesse Eisenberg To Return As Mark Zuckerberg first appeared on The Blast

It has been more than 15 years since the release of “The Social Network,” the biographical drama centered on the creation of Facebook, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin is back for its standalone sequel, “The Social Recoking.” Sorkin, who directed the sequel, wanted Jesse Eisenberg to reprise his role as Facebook’s co-founder, Mark Zuckerberg, but the actor refused. The role went to Jeremy Strong, who was eager to step into the role.

Aaron Sorkin Discusses ‘The Social Reckoning’

In an exclusive interview with Vanity Fair, Aaron Sorkin discussed his upcoming movie, “The Social Reckoning,” the follow-up to 2010’s Academy Award-winning movie, “The Social Network,” written by Sorkin and directed by David Fincher.

Initially, Sorkin said he would only do the project with Fincher as the director. However, the director was busy with other projects, which led Sorkin to take on the role. He did, however, reveal that Fincher was the first person to read the script and also offered help in any way he could.

Talking about the premise of the movie, Sorkin said, “‘The Social Network’ was about how Facebook was invented, and ‘The Social Recoking is what it’s become.”

Jesse Eisenberg Vehemently Refused The Zuckerberg Role

According to Sorkin, his first instinct was to approach Jesse Eisenberg to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg. “I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested,” he said. Eisenberg was nominated for Best Actor at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and BAFTA Awards for his portrayal of the Facebook founder.

In an interview in 2011, Eisenberg said while playing the role, he “developed an even greater affection” for the character. “So even if the character is acting in a way that hurts other characters, you still have to understand and ultimately sympathize with all of that behavior,” he said.

For the sequel, however, Sorkin said he tried to convince the actor for three days to come back, to no avail. “He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy,” the director explained.

The Actor Changed His Tune About Zuckerberg

While Sorkin didn’t reveal many details about his conversation with Eisenberg, he further added, “he doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, b-tch’ for him to sign.”

In 2025, Eisenberg said he no longer wanted to be associated with Zuckerberg, saying that the CEO “evolved into somebody obsessed with avarice and power.”

He also shared that he disagreed with Zuckerberg’s political views, stating, “These people have billions upon billions of dollars, more money than any human person has ever amassed. And what are they doing with it? Oh, they’re doing it to curry favor with somebody who’s preaching hateful things.”

Aaron Sorkin Found His New Zuckerberg

Sorkin revealed that he first mentioned “The Social Reckoning” to Eisenberg at the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. At that same event, he ran into Jeremy Strong, and they got to talking. When the screenwriter mentioned that he was working on a sequel to “The Social Network,” the actor said that he would be interested in the role of Zuckerberg if Eisenberg passed on the opportunity.

Strong told Variety in 2025 that he would approach the role just like any other, “with empathy, with objectivity, with care.” He agreed to take on the project, as he was fascinated by the material and thought it was one of the greatest scripts he’s ever read.

When asked whether he’d reach out to Zuckerberg, Strong replied, “no comment,” adding that he did not have a social media presence.

“He showed up on his first day, and when he said ‘good morning’ to me, he was already talking like Mark,” Sorkin said about Strong.

Aaron Sorkin On The Challenges Of Writing The CEO

“The Social Reckoning” will focus on the 2021 Facebook leak by whistleblower Frances Haugen. Documents showed Facebook knew the platform had harmful societal effects, including political polarization, misinformation, and negative effects on mental health, but failed to take sufficient action as they conflicted with the business’ interests.

According to Sorkin, one of the challenges was writing Zuckerberg like any other character and disregarding his personal views about him. “I can’t judge Mark Zuckerberg while I’m writing it. You’ve got to write the character like they’re making their case to God why they should be allowed into heaven,” he explained.

“The Social Reckoning” hits theaters on October 9, 2026.

The Aaron Sorkin Says He Couldn’t Convince Jesse Eisenberg To Return As Mark Zuckerberg first appeared on The Blast