The Social Reckoning is now playing in theaters and the new film is inspired by true events involving Facebook. It is also a follow-up to The Social Network, with Sony describing the new movie as a “companion piece.”
This time around, we follow a young Facebook engineer, played by Oscar winner Mikey Madison, who becomes a whistleblower on the company, leaking thousands of its internal documents.
Those curious to know more about how The Social Reckoning connects to The Social Network have come to the right place. We’ll address exactly how the films are “companions” and explain the different casts. Keep reading to find out more!
Is The Social Reckoning a sequel to The Social Network?
Despite sharing a writer in Aaron Sorkin—who also takes over as director this time—and similar subject matter, The Social Reckoning is not considered a true sequel to The Social Network as it doesn’t have the same cast and isn’t a direct follow-up to the events of the 2010 film.
Instead, Sony describes The Social Reckoning as a “companion piece” since it is a related story about Facebook that takes place at a later point in its history.
The 2010 movie was all about the original founders of the social media website, while the new movie follows a former Facebook employee who becomes a whistleblower and connects with a reporter to share her story. It’s a new chapter in the history of the Facebook saga that sets it apart from the 2010 film.
Why is Jeremy Strong playing Mark Zuckerberg instead of Jesse Eisenberg?
Jesse Eisenberg played Mark Zuckerberg in the 2010 film, but declined the chance to return for this one.
Sorkin previously shared that he had tried to get Jesse back for the movie, but he didn’t want to be “conflated” with the Facebook founder anymore.
“I felt like it belonged to him, and he was certainly battle-tested,” the director said back in June. “He simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy. He doesn’t like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say ‘I’m CEO, bitch’ for him to sign.
Jesse himself opened up about his decision to turn Sorkin down during a conversation with Variety.
“I just told him I’m moving in different directions in my life, and you know, what he said sums it up nicely. I don’t want to be associated with that character, but all of my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how wonderful the movie is, and will be, and I’m sure is already.”
Is Andrew Garfield returning? And is the rest of the cast being replaced?
Andrew Garfield has already said he isn’t returning as Eduardo Saverin. The actor previously told IndieWire that “Eduardo is in Singapore having a good time.”
Who do Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White play?
Mikey Madison is taking on the role of the Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen, whose story is central to the movie. Jeremy Allen White is playing Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, who works with Haugen.
Jeremy Strong is taking over the role of Mark Zuckerberg from Jesse Eisenberg.
Is the same filmmaker behind both movies?
David Fincher directed The Social Network and Sorkin wrote it. Fincher did not return for the new movie, and instead Sorkin is back as both a writer and a director.
Do you need to watch The Social Network first?
Revisiting The Social Network can give you background on Facebook’s beginnings. The new movie’s announced story centers on Haugen and Horwitz, however, rather than simply picking up the original characters’ immediate next steps.
If you’re interested in learning about how Facebook was founded and created, then you’ll want to watch the 2010 film, since the new one isn’t focused on its origin. It is available to rent and buy from digital retailers like Apple, YouTube, and Amazon Video (it’s not streaming on Prime Video, you’ll need to pay for it separately).
The Social Reckoning is now playing in theaters.
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