(Left) Jeremy Strong arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S. (Right) Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Preview:
- Jeremy Strong is being eyed to join ‘The Social Network 2’ as Mark Zuckerberg, replacing Jesse Eisenberg.
- Both actors are very talented, but with Jesse Eisenberg still acting, this would make no sense.
- Replacing the main character’s actor will likely hurt the film in the long run.
‘The Social Network‘ is considered one of Aaron Sorkin‘s best films, which says a lot because he has made some great ones. The movie follows the birth of Facebook, and works perfectly as a stand-alone. Some would argue there is no need for a follow-up; however, with the way that social media has grown over the years, it comes as no surprise that Sorkin wants to explore it further.
“You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies.”
Release Date: Oct 1, 2010
Run Time: 2 hr 1 min
Budget: $40,000,000
The casting surrounding the film is what is turning heads. News of replacing Jesse Eisenberg, who is the perfect Mark Zuckerberg, is shocking enough, but hearing that Jeremy Strong is the frontrunner for the role does not make a lot of sense. He is a great actor, we all know this, and he can pull off the billionaire businessman wonderfully, as seen in ‘Succession‘, but he doesn’t give off Zuckerberg vibes at all.
Related Article: Mikey Madison & Jeremy Allen White Circle ‘The Social Network Part II’
Jeremy Strong Is A Great Actor, But This Is Bad Casting
Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn in ‘The Apprentice’. Photo: Briarcliff Entertainment.
Jeremy Strong has some serious acting chops. He is able to get intense and downright scary when he needs to, but can also channel a more vulnerable side when the script calls for it. That said, casting him as Mark Zuckerberg makes no sense to me, and I don’t think I am alone in that.
Zuckerberg is more of a geeky, tech guy, something that Jesse Eisenberg perfectly embodied in ‘The Social Network’. I am unsure that Jeremy Strong would be able to bring him to life on the screen in a way that feels authentic and genuine.
Why Can’t Jesse Eisenberg Reprise The Role?
Jesse Eisenberg arrives on the red carpet of the 97th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. Credit/Provider: Etienne Laurent / The Academy. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
With Jesse Eisenberg still acting, it seems to make no sense to replace him for the sequel, unless it was his decision. Perhaps there is more going on behind the scenes than we know. He is writing and directing now as well, having a lot of success with ‘A Real Pain‘ and is returning to the ‘Now You See Me‘ franchise, but I just don’t understand Aaron Sorkin’s decision to move forward to this project without him.
Will Recasting Hurt The Performance Of ‘The Social Network 2’?
Jesse Eisenberg in ‘The Social Network’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Recasting the main actor of a franchise is almost never a good idea. Sometimes there are extenuating circumstances, but with Jesse Eisenberg still acting, and still nailing his performances, it does not make any sense to replace him in ‘The Social Network 2’. If necessary, Aaron Sorkin should wait until his schedule clears up so that he can reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg.
Mikey Madison and Jeremy Allen White are also being eyed to join the cast, however we do not yet know which roles will be offered to them. Hopefully they are not replacing actors that appeared in the first film as well.
Aaron Sorkin attends the Academy’s 7th Annual Governors Awards in The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, CA, on Saturday, November 14, 2015. Credit/Provider: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.