Sorkin: Money Is a 'Disincentive' for Jesse Eisenberg — SkimNews
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- Aaron Sorkin said it 'never occurred' to him that Jesse Eisenberg would refuse to return as Mark Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning,' telling EW he casually mentioned the script to Eisenberg at a party while still 'a couple of pages' from finishing it.
- Sorkin wrote himself a first-ever outline laying out arguments for why Eisenberg should reprise the role, including 'we already know you're gonna be great because you were already once' — but the actor still declined.
- Eisenberg told Sorkin their back-and-forth made him 'come closer to changing my mind than I thought you were going to,' a response Sorkin said 'pleased' him.
- Sorkin revealed he knew what the studio was offering Eisenberg but said 'money does not motivate Jesse. It's infuriating... If anything, money is a disincentive for him,' because the actor is 'very concerned about raising his kids with too much money.'
- Eisenberg told Variety he is 'moving in different directions in my life' and 'don't want to be associated with that character,' while praising the film itself.
- Jeremy Strong of 'Succession' stars as Zuckerberg in the sequel, which hits theaters on Oct. 9 and co-stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Billy Magnussen and Bill Burr.
- The Social Network earned eight Oscar nominations and won three, including best adapted screenplay for Sorkin; Eisenberg received a best-actor nomination for his portrayal of Zuckerberg.
Why it matters: Eisenberg's refusal — and Sorkin's candid admission that money actively turned him off — reframes a standard franchise-recasting story as a genuine artistic standoff, with Jeremy Strong now inheriting an Oscar-nominated role less than three months before the Oct. 9 release.
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