Jesse Eisenberg Refused To Return for the Next ‘Social Network’ Film: ‘Money Does Not Motivate Jesse. It’s Infuriating’

The Social Reckoning is a companion film to the 2010 drama The Social Network, which starred Jesse Eisenberg. The new film was written, co-produced, and directed by Aaron Sorkin, who revealed in an interview with Entertainment Weekly that he tried hard to get Eisenberg to sign on for the new film. However, the actor refused.

“I knew what the studio was offering him to do it, but money does not motivate Jesse,” Sorkin said. “It’s infuriating. If anything, money is a disincentive for him. It’s admirable. He’s very concerned about raising his kids with too much money.”

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Sorkin went on to explain that he spent three days trying to convince Eisenberg to reprise his iconic role. “This is the only time I’ve written myself an outline,” Sorkin revealed. “I don’t do it for the movies, but I did it for my conversations with Jesse. It was arguments for why he should do it. They included, ‘We already know you’re gonna be great because you were already once.’ You know, ‘Here are the great moments that you’re gonna get to play in the movie.’ And I laid it out for him.”

He continued, “I do remember Jesse saying at one point during the third or fourth back and forth, ‘You have come closer to changing my mind than I thought you were going to.’ So I was pleased about that.”

Sorkin also revealed the reason why Eisenberg wasn’t interested in appearing in the new film. “He just doesn’t like being conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore,” he explained. “He doesn’t like that he kinda resembles the guy physically; that role is probably what he’s most known for.”

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The Social Reckoning is about the 2021 Facebook whistleblower scandal. It stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen, and Betty Gilpin. Jeremy Strong is playing the role of Zuckerberg in the film.

The Social Reckoning will be in theaters starting on October 9.