It begins with a whisper: the Facebook empire didn't just end in 2010. That's what hits hardest reading Deadline's report—Aaron Sorkin isn't just revisiting old ground, he's tearing up the map entirely. He's writing and directing The Social Network Part II, and this time the lens is darker, sharper, merciless. The script is reportedly finished. Production dates? Not yet. Casting? Jesse Eisenberg's name floats, unconfirmed—though it's almost impossible to separate Zuckerberg from this story.
What's different this time
The original? Almost elegiac in its depiction of ambition, betrayal, friendship lost in code. Fincher's visual precision. Sorkin's lightning dialogue. It stayed in Harvard's corridors—but this sequel heads out into the world's mess.
It's a “companion piece,” exploring The Facebook Files (2021), illustrating how Facebook knew about teen mental health issues, global disinformation, nation-building, apocalypse-lite…but did what, nothing?
We're not just talking about a push‑notification life; we're talking structural rot. Sorkin's own words: “I blame Facebook for January 6.” That's not spin—it's reckoning .
Why Sorkin, why now?
He's always wanted this. Three directing credits in: Molly's Game, Chicago 7, Being the Ricardos. But none of them were allowed to be truly furious. This one can be. Harrowing doesn't even begin to cover it. It's timely—not hype-y. January 6 isn't the film; misinformation is. The political violence is just fallout.
Inside the script
We don't have pages, but sources say it dives into internal memos, teen psychology, data dumps. Presumably dramatizes whistleblowers, regulators, possibly Zuckerberg himself—earlier at Harvard, now perhaps more emo, less victorious. It's narrative journalism wrapped in cinema. It's climate drama meets Spider‑Man origin myth: your tool…is your poison.
What's at stake
This could redefine the “sequel.” Not nostalgia, but accusation. Not retread, but indictment. It sees Facebook not as triumph, but warning. Sorkin taking the director's chair means we're in for more punch, less polish—his voice raw, exposed. Can the world handle the truth in full Sorkin cadence?
Closing thoughts
I'm eager. Anxious, even. There's no release date—just a locked script and potential casting whispers—but the intent is clear: this isn't about code, it's about chaos. Will Eisenberg return? I hope so; but even if Zuckerberg stays off-screen, his shadow looms.
A sequel that doesn't sequelf — one that doesn't re-start the story, but fractures it. Watch the contours of privilege, power, and profit. And ask yourself: is it cinematic? Or… therapeutic? Both, maybe.
