Aaron Sorkin attends the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 14, 2015. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
Preview:
- Aaron Sorkin will write and direct a follow-up to ‘The Social Network’.
- It’s not a direct sequel to the 2010 David Fincher Oscar winner.
- Sony is once again backing the movie.
Back in 2010, ‘The Social Network’ made a big impact on movies and society in general. It charted the controversial rise of Facebook and the even more dicey story of creator –– there’s still debate about that –– Mark Zuckerberg, who continues to be a divisive figure.
That movie earned plenty of praise and awards (more on that below), and now a follow-up is in the works.
“You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
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2 hr 1 minOct 1st, 2010
Unlike the original, which had director David Fincher overseeing it, this time writer Aaron Sorkin is looking to pull double duty, with Deadline reporting that he hit upon a new concept after looking into the social media platform’s impact on politics and society, and being inspired by a series of articles in the Wall Street Journal.
Sony, which released the original movie, is on board for this one.
Related Article: Aaron Sorkin Looking to Make a Movie About Facebook’s Social Impact
What was the story of ‘The Social Network’?
(L to R) Andrew Garfield and Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The 2010 original, which as mentioned had David Fincher calling the shots, looked at the difficult evolution of Facebook from college ranking system created –– again, there’s debate as the movie suggests –– by Mark Zuckerberg, played there by Jesse Eisenberg.
‘The Social Network’ charts Zuckerberg and his system’s rise to ubiquity and the people who ended up suing for their share of the profits, including the Winklevoss twins and old college friend Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield).
As the famous poster tagline from the movie suggests, “you don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies”.
A huge hit with audiences and critics, it earned $226 million at the global box office. Nominated for eight Oscars including Best Picture, the movie won three, including Sorkin for Best Adapted Screenplay.
What has Aaron Sorkin said about a ‘Social Network’ follow-up?
Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Talking on a live edition of ‘The Town’ Podcast, Sorkin announced that his concern regarding how Facebook’s system has poisoned politics on the personal and national level led him to start work on a new script, which while not a direct sequel to ‘The Social Network’, would follow up on the low-key fears that were subtextual in the original.
Here’s what Sorkin told hosts Matthew Belloni and Peter Hamby:
“Look, yeah, I’ll be writing about this. I blame Facebook for January 6. Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement. That is what will get you to — what they call inside the hallways of Facebook — ‘the infinite scroll’ … There’s supposed to be a constant tension at Facebook between growth and integrity. There isn’t. There’s just growth. If Mark Zuckerberg woke up tomorrow morning and realized there is nothing you can buy for $120 billion that you can’t buy for $119 billion dollars, ‘So how about if I make a little bit less money? I will tune up integrity and tune down growth.’ Yes, you can do that by switching a one to a zero.”
Asked what exactly he’d be focused on, he told the audience that they’d have to buy a movie ticket to find that out.
We do know a little more now, though: Sorkin’s screenplay for the new movie explores the story behind the Wall Street Journal‘s ‘The Facebook Files’, 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.
Deadline’s sources stress that the new film isn’t strictly a “January 6” movie and will focus not just on the 2020 election but also Facebook’s effect on teens, preteens, violence and countries outside the U.S.
Since the original’s release, Sorkin has made a name for himself as a director, bringing to screens movies such as ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, ‘Molly’s Game’ and ‘Being the Ricardos’.
While we doubt he’ll look to emulate the style and intensity that Fincher brought to the first film, chances are he’ll find a way to make the new one interesting in its own way.
When will ‘The Social Network II’ be on screens?
Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Since Sorkin has the script apparently in hand, we may well see this one ramp up quickly –– there’s no production date in place yet, but the main deals for Sorkin and producers Todd Black, Peter Rice and Stuart Besser are locked down.
The writer/director will start gathering an ensemble for the movie soon and you know this will attract all sorts of established names and rising stars. A bigger question might be whether Jesse Eisenberg will be lured back to play Zuckerberg again, even if it’s in a much reduced capacity. We’ll have to wait and see on that one.
(L to R) Justin Timberlake and Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
