Jesse Eisenberg will not be playing Mark Zuckerberg again. The actor spoke publicly this week about his decision to pass on Aaron Sorkin's Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning, saying he is moving in a different direction.
Eisenberg made the comments at the Los Angeles premiere of Minions & Monsters on Sunday. According to Variety, he described his conversations with Sorkin in warm terms, even as he explained why he ultimately said no.
"It's an honor to speak to Aaron in any capacity, because he's so articulate and charming and so bright," Eisenberg said. "We talked about doing the movie for several days. The way Aaron speaks, he speaks so wonderfully, as he writes that, in a way, if you're not going to do something with him, it feels almost like you're letting down America."
He added, "I just told him I'm moving in different directions in my life, and you know, what he said sums 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 previously addressed Eisenberg's decision in an interview with Vanity Fair earlier in June. Sorkin said he spent three days trying to convince the actor to return, but that Eisenberg no longer wanted to be connected to the tech billionaire in the public mind.
"I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested," Sorkin said. "He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy. He doesn't like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say 'I'm CEO, bitch' for him to sign."
With Eisenberg out, Jeremy Strong has stepped into the role of Zuckerberg. The film also stars Mikey Madison as Facebook engineer Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz. The story centers on a 2021 investigative series that exposed Facebook's damaging effects on teenagers and the platform's role in spreading misinformation, including content linked to political violence.
