Film fans are furious after The Social Network sequel is announced with major change
The Social Network, the Jesse Eisenberg classic about Mark Zuckerberg and the creation of Facebook, will be receiving a sequel after 15 years.
Directed by Mindhunter creator David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, the biopic about the creation of the most influential social media platform in the world received an overwhelmingly positive reception.
With eight Oscar nominations, three wins, and a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, you’d expect most fans to be thrilled by a sequel being announced.
The opposite, however, has largely been true.
What do we know about The Social Network sequel?
It was revealed that the upcoming sequel would be focused on the Wall Street Journal’s ‘Facebook Files’, a series of articles by Jeff Horowitz that gave an ‘unprecedented’ look into the social media company.
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Releasing in December 2021, it largely focused on the company’s role in the 2020 election and the inner workings of Facebook.
Jesse Eisenberg, who earned an Oscar nomination for his part in the first film, has not been confirmed to be returning at the time of writing, with DEADLINE reporting it is unclear whether he has received word to return.
Aaron Sorkin, the writer of The Social Network, is set to return and will be directing the film. While he wrote the first film, he did not direct it. The 2010 drama was directed by David Fincher, the man behind Se7en, Fight Club, Gone Girl, and Mindhunter.
The fact he will not return is, in large part, the reasoning for fans turning on the sequel before they’ve even seen a single frame.
What have fans said about Fincher not returning and the announced sequel?
Many fans are not excited by the prospect of a follow up film from Sorkin that doesn’t involve Fincher.
Sorkin has directed three films previously: Molly’s Game, Trial of the Chicago 7, and Being the Ricardos. All three were received positively, but are not considered to be anywhere near the same level as Fincher’s extensive filmography.
One fan quote tweeted a post of the news on X which stated that Aaron Sorkin was returning, it’s unknown if Jesse Eisenberg is returning, it’s not a direct sequel, and that the movie will follow the 2020 election and Facebook’s effect on teens, preteens, and violence outside the US.
They said: “Hilarious that every bullet point about this makes it sound worse and worse.”
Another fan tweeted about the news, saying: “I'm not going to underplay Sorkin's contributions to the screenplay for The Social Network, but David Fincher's visual style is absolutely one of the reasons that movie endures, and Sorkin has not demonstrated that level of visual sophistication in the films he's directed.”
Fans discussing the movie on the r/Movies subreddit were similarly unsure, with one popular comment saying: “Aaron Sorkin is too good of a writer to be working with a director as mediocre as Aaron Sorkin.
“But seriously The Social Network along with Parasite and Fury Road are the best movies of the 2010s for me. I think making a sequel without Fincher's direction isn't a wise move.”
Topics: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook, TV and Film, Film
Michael Slavin