The Social Network Is Getting A Sequel — With A Disappointing Twist
Another sequel nobody asked for.
When pressed to name the best courtroom thriller of the century, many cinephiles will likely name The Social Network. The 2010 film pulled the curtain back on one of history’s most surprising tech empires, chronicling the rise of a social media platform that still dominates today. In examining the one-sided friendships and unflinching betrayals of his early days at Harvard, it also effectively predicted CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s megomaniacal fall from grace. The film’s tongue-in-cheek marketing, which cribbed from Facebook’s iconic blue imagery, summed up the paradox: “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
The Social Network is a timeless and nearly flawless film that’s never needed a sequel; its subject matter has become so infamous that any dramatization would be in poor taste. That’s why it’s so disappointing to watch Aaron Sorkin, the film’s screenwriter, go out of his way to jeopardize The Social Network’s legacy with a follow-up.
Sorkin’s been threatening to make a sequel for the past five years, and in 2024, he revealed he was working on a script. Now, that script seems ready for the cameras, but instead of original director David Fincher returning, Sorkin himself is set to helm the film (dubbed The Social Network Part II) for Sony Pictures.
It’s unclear if Sorkin is planning a Social Network reunion on the casting front.
The scope of Sorkin’s new film isn’t clear, but he hesitates to call it a direct sequel. Instead of focusing on Zuckerberg, Part II may turn to Facebook’s users. “Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible, because that is what will increase engagement,” Sorkin said on The Town podcast in 2024. “That is what will get you to, what they call inside the hallways of Facebook, ‘the infinite scroll.’”
Sorkin names the “infinite scroll” as the culprit behind the rise of the far right, and he’s not the only one. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal published a scathing investigation that exposed the rampant misinformation, harassment, and triggering content bolstered by Facebook and Instagram’s algorithms. Per Deadline, Sorkin plans to use that as the foundation for Part II. The screenwriter blamed Facebook for triggering the January 6 Capitol Riots, so we’ll probably see a bit of that playing out in the film. How the rest of the Journal’s reporting will be adapted remains to be seen, but a more pressing question remains. Can Sorkin direct a film that’s even half as riveting as Fincher’s original?
Sorkin’s always been a great writer, but following up Fincher’s best isn’t an easy feat.
Sorkin’s a great writer when he gets out of his own way. His efforts on the small screen, like The West Wing and The Newsroom, were hits for a reason. But those series feel almost unbearably twee in hindsight, with The Newsroom in particular burdened by a strange, condescending brand of optimism. Those vibes only got more pronounced in Sorkin’s directorial efforts, like The Trial of the Chicago 7. He’s still a competent director, but it’s hard to imagine him tapping into the cold, unflinching character study that Fincher pulled off with The Social Network. Maybe he’ll prove us wrong, but he’s certainly got his work cut out for him.
