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See the full story · 1 sourcesJeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Reckoning." Sony
"The Social Reckoning" tells the story of Frances Haugen, a Facebook engineer turned whistleblower.
The movie is written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and is a companion piece to "The Social Network."
The movie opens in theaters on October 9.
Sixteen years ago, David Fincher wowed audiences with the dorm-room origin story of Facebook with " The Social Network. "
The movie would go on to earn eight Oscar nominations and three wins and make stars out of Jesse Eisenberg as its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, and Andrew Garfield as Zuck's former friend and collaborator, Eduardo Saverin.
Now, Aaron Sorkin, who won an Oscar for penning "The Social Network" script, is taking on the writing and directing duties for the movie's follow-up, " The Social Reckoning ."
In this movie, things have changed dramatically for Zuckerberg (this time played by Jeremy Strong), as Facebook has grown into one of the most influential companies on the planet. But the company has some dark secrets.
Oscar winner Mikey Madison plays Facebook engineer Frances Haugen, who has put her trust in Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, played by Jeremy Allen White, to expose the company's internal research and decision-making.
Sorkin based the script on The Wall Street Journal's expansive investigative series, The Facebook Files , which delved into the social network's impact on youth mental health, misinformation, and the January 6, 2021 Capitol attack.
Sony will release the movie on October 9. Here's everything to know.
Aaron Sorkin has wanted to do a "Social Network" follow-up for years.
Aaron Sorkin. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Sorkin is no stranger to exploring power and the people who wield it. When he wasn't creating shows like "The West Wing" and "The Newsroom," he wrote the scripts for movies like "The American President" and " Steve Jobs. "
But he's never been able to let go of Zuckerberg and Facebook. In a 2020 interview for the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast , he noted that what fascinated him about a continuation to "The Social Network" was exploring " the dark side of Facebook. "
That interest intensified a year later when The Wall Street Journal released The Facebook Files.
By the spring of 2025 , Sony announced that Sorkin was attached to write and direct a follow-up movie.
"There isn't a life that Facebook's algorithm hasn't touched, and that influence has reshaped everything," Sorkin told a room full of movie theater owners at their annual convention, CinemaCon, back in April. "It's time to say more."
Sorkin said he spent 3 days trying to convince Jesse Eisenberg to play Mark Zuckerberg again.
Sony Pictures Releasing; Adam Berry/Bloomberg/Getty Images
When Sorkin took on "The Social Reckoning," one of the first people he sent the script to was Jesse Eisenberg, whose performance as Mark Zuckerberg in "The Social Network" earned him an Oscar nomination.
"I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested," Sorkin told Vanity Fair about hoping Eisenberg would reprise the role.
Sorkin told the magazine he spent three days trying to convince Eisenberg, but ultimately, the actor declined.
"He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy," Sorkin told Vanity Fair. "He doesn't like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say 'I'm CEO, bitch' for him to sign."
Eisenberg told the BBC in February 2025 that he no longer wanted to be "associated with someone like that," referring to Zuckerberg.
This opened the door for Jeremy Strong to take on the role.
Jeremy Strong will play Mark Zuckerberg instead.
Jeremy Strong in "The Social Reckoning." Sony
Strong has a track record of taking on challenging roles. He crafted the complex nepo baby Kendall Roy from "Succession" into one of the most memorable characters in modern television. He's since wowed audiences with his performances as Donald Trump's cutthroat lawyer, Roy Cohn, in " The Apprentice, " and Bruce Springsteen's loyal producer, Jon Landau, in "Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere."
Playing an adult Zuckerberg will be his biggest transformation yet.
Since founding Facebook, Zuckerberg rebranded it as Meta in 2021, focusing on virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.
Soon after Haugen testified at the Senate hearing, Zuckerberg announced on an earnings call that Meta was hiring 40,000 people to work in safety and security because, he said, "we care about getting this right." Facebook has long said it endorses establishing rules for online platforms.
Strong took an obsessively Method approach to emulating the CEO.
Jeremy Strong in "The Social Reckoning." Sony
Strong's Method acting preparation to play characters has risen to Daniel Day-Lewis levels of mythology, and that won't change with "Reckoning."
In an August 2026 GQ profile , Strong, who spoke in a Polish accent for most of the interview as he was also prepping for another movie at the time, revealed that his goal was to play the real Zuckerberg, not copy Eisenberg's portrayal in "The Social Network." To accomplish that, he said he listened to every podcast, read every interview, and watched Zuckerberg speak at every tech summit the CEO has ever done. He even created a Facebook account so he could read all of Zuckerberg's posts.
But Strong also wanted to get across to Zuckerberg himself how committed he was to the role. So Strong reached out to him.
"I sent him an email," Strong told GQ. "Just to say that I take this responsibility very seriously, and the veracity of it seriously, and I'm approaching it with respect."
Strong said Zuckerberg responded to him, but did not divulge what Zuck said.
Strong was also dedicated to sounding like Zuckerberg, talking in his voice throughout the production of the movie, even when he was off set.
"I've talked to Mark Zuckerberg many ...
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