Aaron Sorkin says he didn’t think Jesse Eisenberg wouldn’t want to play Mark Zuckerberg

Before Jesse Eisenberg declined to return to the world of Facebook as Mark Zuckerberg for Aaron Sorkin’s “The Social Reckoning,” the director admitted “it never occurred to him” that the actor would disagree with his 2026 follow-up to 2010’s “The Social Network,” in which Eisenberg played the young tech billionaire.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Sorkin said he was “just a few pages away from finishing” the script for the new film when he ran into Eisenberg at a party, “and said, ‘I’m going to send you something in a few weeks.’ The actor “smiled and nodded, and I sent it to him,” Sorkin said. “I never thought he wouldn’t want to do it.”

Sorkin went on to explain that he tried to convince the “A Real Pain” actor, but he wouldn’t budge.

“It’s the only time I write an outline myself. I don’t do it for movies, but I did it for my conversations with Jesse,” he said. “They were arguments for why he should do it. They included, ‘We already know you’re going to be great because you already were great once.’ You know, “Here are the big moments that you’re going to get to play in the movie. » And I exposed it for him. And even though Eisenberg didn’t sign, he told Sorkin that their conversations led him “to change his mind closer than I thought,” which the director said “pleased.”

Even a big salary couldn’t sway Eisenberg, Sorkin admitted. “I knew what the studio was offering him to do it, but money doesn’t motivate Jesse. It’s infuriating,” Sorkin said. “On the contrary, money is a hindrance for him. It’s admirable. He is very concerned about raising his children with too much money.”

As the release of “The Social Reckoning,” which hits theaters Oct. 9, approaches, Eisenberg’s refusal to return to the role of Zuckerberg has been a hot topic. (“Succession” actor Jeremy Strong plays the Facebook founder instead.) Variety, The actor said, “I just told (Sorkin) that I’m going in different directions in my life, and you know, what he said pretty much sums it up. I don’t want to be associated with that character, but all my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how great the movie is, and will be, and I’m sure it already is.”

“The Social Network,” which also starred Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, was nominated for eight Academy Awards and won three, including best adapted screenplay for Sorkin, best film editing and best original score. Eisenberg was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Zuckerberg. “The Social Reckoning” stars Strong, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Billy Magnussen, Bill Burr and more.