Exciting news for fans waiting for the sequel to The Social Network! It’s official, Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar-winning mastermind is currently working on the script for the long-awaited sequel. This time around, judging by his recent statement, fans are bracing themselves for a deep dive into some dark and heavy truths intertwined with the Zuckerberg empire, as Sorkin is determined to shed light on the shadows lurking behind the Mark Zuckerberg company.
Aaron Sorkin Is Determined to Reveal the Dark Side of Facebook in The Social Network Sequel
In a recent episode of The Town podcast, Aaron Sorkin confirmed his involvement in the sequel to The Social Network. As his enthusiasm practically jumped through the mic, signaling this movie was a serious passion project for the writer.
While the 2010 movie delved into the inception of Facebook and the drama that accompanied it, Sorkin has something different in mind this time, something weightier. He teased that fans eager to know more will have to secure their tickets. Right off the bat in the podcast, he made his intentions clear as he stated,
“Look, yeah, I’ll be writing about this,–I blame Facebook for January 6. You’re going to need to buy a movie ticket.”
For context, January 6, 2021, saw the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., stormed by a mob of then-U.S. president Donald Trump’s supporters, just two months following his loss in the 2020 presidential election. Thus, Sorkin further elaborated stating,
“I’m trying [to write a movie about it], 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. It’s just growth.”
He further continued,
“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 honestly switching a one to a zero and a zero to a one.”
While not a direct sequel, this movie can be considered a spiritual successor to the 2010 film, a blockbuster hit that raked in $224 million worldwide and garnered numerous Oscar nominations. With such a successful predecessor, it’s no wonder people are holding high expectations for this one too.
Who Will Direct The Social Network 2?
David Fincher appeared to have reservations about proceeding with the project while Aaron Sorkin was ready from the start. In an interview with The Guardian in 2021, Fincher expressed his hesitations, stating,
“Aaron [Sorkin, The Social Network’s screenwriter] and I have talked about it, but, um… that’s a can of worms,”
As Sorkin also previously stated in a Happy Sad Confused podcast (via IndieWire),
“I will only write it if [original filmmaker David Fincher] directs it. If Billy Wilder came back from the grave and said he wanted to direct it, I’d say I’d only do it with David.”
As observed in the latest podcast episode, the writer is charging forward with full enthusiasm. Does this imply that Fincher is also on board? However, recent years have witnessed Sorkin directing his own films, which suggests he could also take the helm.
Nevertheless, the writer has repeatedly emphasized his eagerness to collaborate with Fincher once more. While nothing has been officially confirmed yet, fans speculate that Fincher would still play a role in the filmmaking process, even if he opts not to commit.
Sorking’s fascination lies in witnessing the company’s metamorphosis into Meta, now the powerhouse behind some of the biggest social media platforms like Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. Yet, amid its towering success, Sorking is drawn to uncovering the mysteries lurking within this empire, chasing down its secrets and shadows. Fans are undoubtedly excited!
The Social Network is currently streaming on Max.
