For many film enthusiasts, when the conversation turns to the paramount courtroom thrillers of the 21st century, David Fincher‘s 2010 masterpiece, The Social Network, often takes center stage. The film masterfully peeled back the layers of Facebook’s surprising origins, chronicling the meteoric ascent of a social media giant that continues to dominate our digital lives. It also starkly portrayed the one sided friendships and profound betrayals that defined Mark Zuckerberg’s early days at Harvard, presciently foreshadowing his eventual, widely perceived descent into hubris. The film’s iconic marketing tagline, cleverly mirroring Facebook’s signature blue imagery, perfectly encapsulated its central paradox: “You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
The Social Network stands as a timeless and near flawless cinematic achievement, a film that, arguably, never required a sequel. Its subject matter has since become so ingrained in public consciousness that any further dramatization risked feeling gratuitous. This makes the recent news all the more disheartening as Aaron Sorkin, the original film’s screenwriter, appears intent on jeopardizing its formidable legacy with a follow up.
Sorkin has teased the prospect of a sequel for half a decade, finally confirming in 2024 that he was actively developing a script. Now, that script seems primed for production. However, instead of the acclaimed David Fincher returning to direct, Sorkin himself is set to helm the project, tentatively titled The Social Network Part II, for Sony Pictures.
The precise scope of Sorkin’s new film remains somewhat ambiguous, though he’s reluctant to label it a direct sequel. Rather than maintaining its focus on Zuckerberg, Part II may shift its gaze to Facebook’s users. As Sorkin articulated on The Town podcast in 2024, “Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible, because that is what will increase engagement. That is what will get you to, what they call inside the hallways of Facebook, ‘the infinite scroll.’”
Sorkin identifies this “infinite scroll” as a primary catalyst for the rise of far right ideologies, a sentiment echoed by many. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal published a scathing investigation that laid bare how Facebook and Instagram’s algorithms actively amplified rampant misinformation, harassment, and triggering content. According to Deadline, Sorkin intends to use this investigative reporting as the bedrock for Part II. Given Sorkin’s outspoken belief that Facebook played a role in instigating the January 6 Capitol Riots, it’s highly probable that this pivotal event will feature prominently in the film. How the remainder of the Journal’s extensive reporting will be adapted into a narrative remains to be seen. A more pressing question, however, looms large Can Sorkin deliver a film even remotely as compelling as Fincher’s original?
Sorkin is undoubtedly a brilliant writer, particularly when he allows his narratives to unfold naturally without overt stylistic impositions. His triumphs on the small screen, such as The West Wing and The Newsroom, were hits for valid reasons. Yet, in retrospect, these series can sometimes feel overly earnest, with The Newsroom in particular burdened by a peculiar, almost patronizing brand of optimism. These stylistic tendencies have only become more pronounced in Sorkin’s directorial endeavors, exemplified by films like The Trial of the Chicago 7. While he remains a competent director, it is challenging to envision him recapturing the cold, unyielding character study that Fincher so expertly executed with The Social Network. Perhaps he will defy expectations, but he certainly faces an uphill battle.
