Aaron Sorkin wrote the screenplay for The Social Network based on the 2009 book The Accidental Billionaires. Sorkin won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar that year for the script that explored the founding of Facebook. The acclaimed writer is set to write a sequel for that project, and Mark Zuckerberg wouldn’t be too happy about it. Sorkin blamed Facebook for the January 6 attack and vowed to write all about it in The Social Network 2 during a recent podcast appearance.
The 2010 film featured an ensemble cast including Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, and Max Minghella. The film faced one of the biggest snubs at the Oscars, losing Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor to The King’s Speech.
Aaron Sorkin Confirms Working On The Social Network 2 Which Will Allegedly Expose Facebook
During his recent appearance on The Town podcast with Matthew Belloni, Aaron Sorkin confirmed that he was working on a sequel to The Social Network. David Fincher‘s original film was a dramatized version of how Facebook came into existence. The platform went on to become the leading social media platform, even bringing its competitors under its purview.
Sorkin shared on the podcast that he blamed Facebook for the January 6 United States Capitol attack. Sorkin did not get into the details about how supporters of Donald Trump used the social media platform to spread fake news. However, he was critical of Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg in general.
Sorkin shared that when it comes to growth and integrity, Facebook always tends to choose growth over integrity. Sorkin revealed that the social media platform promoted the most divisive material to promote engagement, which will keep the users in ‘the infinite scroll’. He shared with The Town:
“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.”
Sorkin’s sequel may not make Zuckerberg very happy, as he advised the Facebook founder during his podcast interview. He shared that the integrity problem with Facebook would be over once Zuckerberg realized that there was nothing a $120 billion could buy that couldn’t be bought for $119 billion. Sorkin shared:
“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.”
According to Box Office Mojo, The Social Network made $224.9 million at the worldwide box office. It was also a critical success, with Quentin Tarantino naming it one of the best films of 2010. Tarantino singled out Sorkin’s script as one of the best aspects of the film (via The Guardian).
Will The Social Network 2 Happen And Who Among The Cast & Crew Will Return?
This is not the first time Aaron Sorkin opened up about a sequel to his Oscar-winning work. During a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sorkin shared that Facebook’s story in the last few years was a story worth telling. He also revealed that he has ideas about how to present this story as a sequel to the original movie. He shared with THR:
“I think what has been going on with Facebook these last few years is a story very much worth telling, and there is a way to tell it as a follow up to ‘The Social Network,’ and that’s as much as I know.”
Fincher had a rather conflicted response when asked about the sequel project during an interview with The Guardian. He shared, “Aaron and I have talked about it, but, that’s a can of worms.” However, Jesse Eisenberg is up for a sequel as he revealed that he was “incredibly fortunate” to be offered the complicated character in the first place (via IndieWire).
The Social Network is now available for streaming on Max.
