Summary

  • Director David Fincher teases that talks have taken place with original screenwriter Aaron Sorkin about making The Social Network 2.
  • There's a lot that's happened with Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook since the movie came out, and Fincher cryptically calls the potential sequel "a can of worms."
  • While the prospect of a reunion between Fincher, Sorkin, and star Jesse Eisenberg for a sequel is hard to resist, it's questionable whether a follow-up would be able to strike the same chord as the original in today's changed cultural landscape.

The Social Network 2 talks are teased by director David Fincher, 13 years after the first film. Released in 2010, Fincher's drama about Mark Zuckerberg and the rise of Facebook remains one of his most critically-acclaimed films. While The Social Network ending sees Zuckerberg having alienated most of the people close to him to achieve success, wrapping up the story with a poignant final scene, Facebook's real-life story has continued.

Now, Fincher teases in a recent interview with The Guardian that he has had talks with original screenwriter Aaron Sorkin about making The Social Network 2. The director is characteristically cryptic about whether the sequel will actually happen. Check out Fincher's comment below:

“Aaron [Sorkin, who wrote the film] and I have talked about it, but, um … that’s a can of worms.”

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Should The Social Network 2 Happen?

Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) looking nervous in The Social Network.

The first movie was a strong awards performer, taking home three Oscars, including one for Best Adapted Screenplay, and earning nominations in a number of other categories. The combination of Sorkin's script, Fincher's directing, and the lead performances from The Social Network's cast, especially Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield, truly is a match made in heaven.

If all of these forces can once again combine for The Social Network 2, the sequel would already be off to a good start creatively. Plus, in terms of the path that Zuckerberg and Facebook have taken since the end of the movie, there's plenty more material to explore. In fact, some of the biggest events in Facebook's history have occurred in the years since the movie's release, including the purchase of Instagram in 2012 and the major rebrand to Meta in 2021.

That being said, as Fincher suggests, there are certainly reasons to not make a sequel. It's questionable whether a sequel would be able to strike the same chord commercially in today's changed theatrical landscape, not to mention the fact that the entire mythology surrounding Zuckerberg has changed dramatically since the first movie's release. The Social Network remains a true masterwork from one of Hollywood's most talented directors, and returning to that same well runs the risk of souring the original, which still holds up remarkably well today.

Source: The Guardian