It’s safe to say that public perception of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg has changed over the years, but especially recently as he’s sucked up to Donald Trump and the extreme right, especially in the run-up to January 6th. Aaron Sorkin and David Fincher’s 2010 Oscar winner The Social Network looks very different now than it did then. Sorkin has been teasing the possibility of doing a sequel, and now it’s official.
Deadline reports Sorkin is writing and directing The Social Network Part II for Sony Pictures. The film will be based on “Wall Street Journal‘s The Facebook Files by Jeff Horowitz, an explosive series of articles published in October 2021 that exposed the inner workings of — and multiple harms caused by — the world’s largest social network.”
It was Sorkin’s rapid-fire writing, Fincher’s stylish direction, and a breakthrough performance by Jesse Eisenberg that made “the Facebook movie” a hit, winning three Academy Awards and earning $226M. That film was based on Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Millionaires, and painted Zuckerberg as a dangerous but ultimately sympathetic figure. It’s doubtful the sequel will be so kind.
The new film, which won’t be a direct sequel, will take a look at Facebook’s impact on January 6th, teens, preteens, and other countries.
It’s unclear how big of a role Zuckerberg will have in this story and whether Eisenberg would even consider returning.
Sorkin has directed just three films in his career, beginning with Molly’s Game in 2017, followed by The Trial of the Chicago 7 in 2020, and 2021’s Being the Ricardos which I swear I forgot even existed.
