Why Jesse Eisenberg Turned Down The Social Network 2

You don't become one of the industry's best and most versatile performers without turning down a few major roles along the way. Admittedly, it's been a minute since I last watched "The Social Network," but I'm pretty sure that's how the tagline goes. Either way, a sequel written and directed by Aaron Sorkin is happening whether we like it or not, and it'll be missing the most recognizable name from the 2010 masterclass of a film. Jesse Eisenberg couldn't possibly have been more suited for the character of Mark Zuckerberg, the dead-eyed nerd who alienated his best friend, objectified countless women on his college campus, and, oh yeah, created the networking platform that is almost singlehandedly responsible for the cesspit we find ourselves living in now. What a legacy. But as filming commences on the follow-up movie, Eisenberg will be nowhere to be seen ... and he has a pretty good reason for that.

When the sequel titled "The Social Reckoning" hits theaters, "Succession" star Jeremy Strong will be plastered all over the marketing campaign as the recast Zuckerberg, but Eisenberg is finally opening up about why this will be the case. During an appearance on "The Today Show," the actor was asked why he passed on reprising his Oscar-nominated role. After initially attempting to play coy — including a wry joke about being busy in Paris orchestrating the recent Louvre jewel thefts — he revealed the real reason why:

"Listen, [it's] for reasons that have nothing to do with how amazing that movie will be, really, truthfully. When you play a character, at some point you feel maybe you've grown into something else."

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Jesse Eisenberg is eager to embrace a new phase of his career 15 years after "The Social Network" changed everything for him. In the decade and a half since, Eisenberg has made a point to work on some of the most idiosyncratic low-budget movies around ("The Art of Self-Defense" and "Sasquatch Sunset," in particular), developed a talent for both writing and directing (culminating in last year's surprise awards contender "A Real Pain"), and even found himself a reliable franchise to get him some steady paychecks ("Now You See Me: Now You Don't," coming to a theater near you soon). If I were in his shoes, I'd also be hesitant to go back and revisit well-trod territory that may be impossible to improve upon.

That's not to say that Eisenberg is feeling pessimistic about Aaron Sorkin's "The Social Reckoning," however. On the contrary, he emphasized that his motivations for passing were entirely personal and not a reflection of his thoughts on how the film will turn out. When suggested that he's "outgrown" the part of Mark Zuckerberg, Eisenberg quickly deflected:

"Yeah, something [like that]. But it's a really wonderful movie. I'm friends with Aaron Sorkin, who wrote and is directing this movie, and all of the reasons that I am not in it are completely unrelated to how brilliant it will be."

I'm still somewhat skeptical that we need a sequel to "The Social Network" in the first place, especially one without both Eisenberg and original director David Fincher. But, for Eisenberg's part, at least he's not feeling any FOMO. "The Social Reckoning," starring Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, and Jeremy Strong, releases October 9, 2026.