During an interview with Today to promote Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, Jesse Eisenberg finally broke his silence about why he won’t be reprising the role of Mark Zuckerberg in Aaron Sorkin’s much-anticipated Social Network sequel, The Social Reckoning.
Jeremy Strong Assumed Eisenberg’s Role
The film, which Sorkin will write and direct, made headlines earlier this year when it was announced that Deliver Me From Nowhere star Jeremy Strong will step in to play the Meta founder. Eisenberg played the role to acclaim in David Fincher’s original Social Network, receiving an Oscar nomination for his work.
‘Grown Into Something Else’
“Listen, for reasons that have nothing to do with how amazing that movie will be, really, truthfully,” Eisenberg said when asked why he decided not to reprise the role. “But when you play a character, you feel, at some point, you’ve grown into something else.”
Asked if he felt he had indeed outgrown the character of Zuckerberg, Eisenberg responded: “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.”
None of the Original Stars Are Expected to Return
The Social Network, which also starred Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake, received eight Academy Award nominations and won three, including for Sorkin’s screenplay. Fincher’s film grossed $226 million worldwide and is largely considered to be one of the best films of the previous decade. At this point, none of Eisenberg’s original co-stars are set to return. Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White have signed on to appear opposite Strong in the sequel.
Earlier this month, Strong said that he hasn’t spoken with Eisenberg about taking on his iconic role. “I think that has nothing to do with what I’m going to do,” Strong said, adding, “It’s a great character—fascinating, complex—and I’m approaching it with great care and empathy and objectivity.”
