For anyone remotely familiar with the cinema landscape of the 2000s, the artist-muse pairing of Aaron Sorkin and Mark Zuckerberg might ring a bell. Sorkin won an Oscar for the screenplay of David Fincher’s “The Social Network” (2010), which was based on Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires” and focused on the conception and overnight success of Facebook. Now, after two decades of controversy and conspiracy, Sorkin has returned — this time reentering the story from the director’s chair — for “The Social Reckoning” (2026). Now that the film has been released, the question people have wondered since its announcement can be answered: will the sequel live up to its predecessor?
It’s worth noting just how few of the creatives behind the original film are returning — aside from Sorkin, only cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth is back for the sequel. This means that many of the features which earned “The Social Network” such high praise — Fincher’s directing, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s ambient score, and Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal of Zuckerberg — are noticeably missing. The marketing team was evidently aware of these absences: one trailer ends with the first film’s iconic main theme as a clear attempt to nostalgia-bait, though the electronic composition reminiscent of the 2000s clashes with the 2020s-centered “The Social Reckoning.”
The sizable change in creative team leads to similarities between the two films being few and far between. In place of Eisenberg – who was perhaps too busy directing “The Debut” (to release later this year) — the role of Zuckerberg is taken up by Jeremy Strong, whose performance, particularly his voice work, was highly anticipated. But despite the Facebook founder being the leading figure in “The Social Network,” Zuckerberg’s character takes a backseat in the sequel.
Instead, the narrative centers around the 2021 Facebook leak, which exposed the company as disproportionately pushing harmful and extremist content, and the leak’s instigators: journalistic reporter Jeff Horwitz (Jeremy Allen White) and whistleblower Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison). While their actions spur forward the entire plot, Zuckerberg is left with little to do. In the film, we only see him receiving legal counsel and preparing to testify before the Senate. In fairness, this is a large part of the film: Haugen’s and Horwitz’s investigations and Zuckerberg’s preparations are presented parallel to each other, despite being divorced chronologically.
Still, Zuckerberg is forced into an entirely passive role as he ruminates on the leaks. And though it might strip the movie of some depth and rob Sorkin of the parallel structure he loves so much, his perspective could be entirely removed without harming the film’s narrative. It almost feels like Sorkin was compelled to feature Zuckerberg, despite his distance from the situation, because, after all, it is a sequel to “The Social Network.”
But even aside from the re-casting, the two Zuckerbergs are written entirely differently. Though he was infamously insufferable in the original film, watching a young, anxious, and hopelessly insecure Mark stumble into financial success was, in a way, endearing. And though Eisenberg studied Zuckerberg’s mannerisms, he deliberately avoided a truly accurate impersonation. On the contrary, it appears this is exactly what Strong is attempting with his unsettling and uncharismatic mannerisms. While it makes sense that the fifth-richest man in the world is no longer a quirky underdog, it further distances the two films in tone.
White and Madison, the latter fresh off her Oscar win for “Anora” (2024), aren’t bad by any means, and, compared to Strong, their more human performances are a breath of fresh air. However, their narrative stumbles at a few key points. Like with its predecessor, we’re meant to believe that a relationship is at the core of the film. This time, instead of friends-turned-litigants Zuckerberg and Saverin, we are introduced to strangers-turned-allies Horwitz and Haugen. For the most part it’s charming, even heartwarming, though this emotional center is often lost in the muddled mess of buzzwords and tech-speak.
At times, Sorkin very clearly relies on tired tropes to do the heavy lifting. For example, Haugen repeatedly appears at Horwitz’s hotel room in plunging cocktail dresses, which she claims is to divert suspicion, so she can use the excuse that she’s on a date. But, if anything, it feels more like an excuse to get the female lead into tight-fitting clothes, whether to fast-track her and Horwitz’s relationship, to cater to the male gaze, or both.
Nothing suggests the real-life Horwitz and Haugen were as close friends as the film portrays them, and though an emotional core was much-needed, these stark deviations from reality are some of the main flaws of both “The Social Reckoning” and “The Social Network.” Aside from the characters, some of whom are entirely fictional (Wunmi Mosaku’s Raya; Bill Burr’s Charlie), the timeline is noticeably condensed, presumably so that the story can culminate with the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol riots. The film frames the event as the culmination of Facebook’s prioritization of engagement, which often leads to outrage-baiting over user safety.
For many viewers, it might have been surreal to see an event in very recent memory depicted so melodramatically; it certainly was for me. After all, I couldn’t take issue with “The Social Network’s” depiction of 2003 (I wasn’t alive), but I certainly remember the rise of TikTok, the onset of COVID, and the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, all of which are either mentioned or featured in the film. It’s a little more obvious, then, to me when the movie gets something wrong (I don’t think there were nearly enough masks for the scenes set in 2021).
I think I’m in the minority of watchers who legitimately enjoyed “The Social Reckoning.” Still, even I have to admit it’s inferior to its predecessor. It’s been argued that it’s not even worth comparing the two — after all, how is anything supposed to match what many consider the greatest film of the 2010s? But for a film that so heavily relied on being the sequel to “The Social Network,” these comparisons were inevitable. That said, I think the film is at its best when it distances itself from Facebook’s past and tells an entirely new story for a new decade.
For a film that’s gearing up to be the true spiritual successor of “The Social Network,” and one whose subject matter Swatties might be more inclined to relate to over Facebook, keep an eye on Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial.” It’s slated for release later this year, stars “The Social Network” alum Andrew Garfield as Sam Altman, and details the dreadful rise of OpenAI …
