Aaron Sorkin is making a second 'Social Network' movie
We're getting yet another Hollywood sequel. Deadline reports that Aaron Sorkin will be directing The Social Network II , a follow-up to the film that chronicled the development of Facebook and the ensuing lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg. The next movie will take its inspiration from a 2021 investigation by The Wall Street Journal into the harms caused by Facebook and the company's failure to address those problems.
Sorkin has a long career as a writer, including the screenplay for The Social Network , but only three credits as a director on his resume. There's no production date for the movie at this time, and it's unknown whether actors from the original will return to their roles, most notably Jesse Eisenberg as Zuck.
Facebook certainly provides no shortage of potential inspiration for a biopic. Just in the past six months, the platform dug a deeper hole for itself when it tried to quash a tell-all memoir with some pretty wild behind-the-scenes stories from a former employee. Facebook also eliminated its third-party fact checkers and gutted its own hate speech policy, which was unsurprisingly followed by an increase in violent content and harassment. But given all the negative hits for Facebook's reputation, viewers may not be too excited about spending two hours or more stewing in all the crappy stuff the network has done.
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Get ready for ‘The Social Network II,' a sequel Facebook doesn't want you to see
Aaron Sorkin says he is writing and directing a sequel to ' The Social Network,' the Silicon Valley-set 2010 film about the founding of Facebook that won the prolific screenwriter an Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Tentatively titled 'The Social Network Part II,' the movie will be based on a series of articles published in the Wall Street Journal in 2021 called 'The Facebook Files.' The reporting revealed that the social media company, headquartered in Menlo Park and now called Meta, was aware of the harm that Facebook and its sister app Instagram could cause to teenagers. It also found that company leaders knew about the apps' role in spreading disinformation that could incite political violence, but continued to prioritize profits instead. Sorkin reportedly struggled for years to write the sequel to the Oscar-nominated film, which earned eight nods and won for Trent Reznor's score and Kirk Baxter's editing. He finally found inspiration following the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, which he blames partly on Facebook, according to Deadline. The new film is expected to address not just the 2020 election but also Facebook's affect on teens, preteens, violence and countries outside the U.S. 'The Social Network,' directed by David Fincher, starred Jesse Eisenberg as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Andrew Garfield as co-founder Eduardo Saverin — roles that vaulted both actors to stardom. In 2024, the film was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry for its 'cultural, historical, and aesthetic contributions.' Sorkin, creator of the hit television series ' The West Wing ' (1999-2006), has turned to directing in recent years with such films as ' Molly's Game ' (2017), ' The Trial of the Chicago 7 ' (2020) and ' Being the Ricardos ' (2021).
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
Aaron Sorkin will direct a sequel to 'The Social Network' inspired by The Facebook Files
Aaron Sorkin is returning for a sequel to his Oscar-winning film, "The Social Network." A source familiar with the project confirmed to Business Insider that Sorkin will work with Sony Pictures to write and direct "The Social Network Part II," inspired by The Wall Street Journal's 2021 investigative series, The Facebook Files. The entertainment news platform Deadline was the first to report on the sequel. While the 2010 film chronicled Facebook's founding, the source confirmed to BI that the new sequel will examine the tech giant's societal impact on youth mental health and misinformation and touch on the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. Sorkin, who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for the original film, will write and direct the new installment. Sorkin, Todd Black, Peter Rice, and Stuart Besser are also producers on the project. The first " The Social Network," directed by David Fincher, was a critical and commercial hit. It grossed over $226 million globally and won three Academy Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also launched careers for Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Armie Hammer. Eisenberg earned an Oscar nomination for portraying Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Since its release, Sorkin has floated the idea of a follow-up on multiple occasions, but no details ever materialized. Sorkin also said in April that he blames "Facebook for January 6" during an interview with journalist Matt Belloni on "The Town" podcast. The Journal's Facebook Files series is based on thousands of pages of internal documents leaked by whistleblower Frances Haugen, a former product manager at Facebook. The documents obtained by The Journal revealed that Facebook (now Meta) knew about the harmful effects of its platforms, including Instagram, and downplayed the negative consequences. Sorkin's recent directing credits include "Molly's Game," " The Trial of the Chicago 7", and " Being the Ricardos." Casting is still in early stages, and the production timeline has yet to be finalized, but momentum could pick up fast with the film's coveted roles. It is also unclear whether Eisenberg will return.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘The Social Network Part II' in the Works with Aaron Sorkin Writing and Directing
Aaron Sorkin is going back into the world of Facebook. Sorkin and Sony Pictures are in development on 'The Social Network Part II,' a follow-up film to the 2010 gem 'The Social Network' about the founding of Facebook, an individual with knowledge of the project told IndieWire. For now, the film is only in development, but Sorkin has already written the screenplay for the follow-up, and Sony has also tapped him to direct after David Fincher directed the first film. More from IndieWire 'Brokeback Mountain' Co-Writer Knew the Film Would Lose Best Picture After Learning Clint Eastwood Hadn't Seen the Movie Everyone Wants Their Own Jane Austen Adaptation, and They're Getting Them Crucially, no cast is set on the project, and the film is being described as a follow-up rather than a sequel, so it's unclear if Sorkin would look to again tap stars Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield, or others. This time, Sorkin is working from the Wall Street Journal's series of articles called 'The Facebook Files' from 2021, which exposed the inner workings of the social media giant and the harm found to have been caused by the tech company. Among the findings, the paper reported that there were a handful of elite employees at the company exempt from its corporate rules, that it was aware of the toxic impact Instagram had on teenage girls, that it was aware Facebook's algorithm change was emotionally damaging friends and family. Todd Black, Peter Rice, Sorkin, and Stuart Besser are producing 'The Social Network Part II.' Zuckerberg himself has changed immensely in the public consciousness since Eisenberg's indelible and precisely crafted performance as him in Fincher's film. Eisenberg said earlier this year that he doesn't want to be thought of 'as someone associated with someone like that.' 'It's like this guy is… doing things that are problematic, taking away fact-checking,' Eisenberg told BBC Radio 4's 'Today.' '[There are] safety concerns. Making people who are already threatened in the world more threatened.' Sorkin, too, has been critical of Facebook since making the film, writing an open letter in 2019 chastising Facebook for 'assaulting truth' after it allowed political candidates to run false ads. Released in 2010 by Sony Pictures, 'The Social Network' made $226 million globally at the box office and was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture, and won three, including Aaron Sorkin winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Sorkin, as a director, has been behind the camera for three films, most recently the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz biopic 'Being the Ricardos' in 2021. This would be his fourth film as a director after also directing and writing 'Molly's Game' and 'The Trial of the Chicago 7.' Deadline first reported the news. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
