Jesse Eisenberg breaks silence on not returning to ‘Social Network’ sequel

Jesse Eisenberg revealed why he chose not to reprise his role as the tech mogul Mark Zuckerberg in the upcoming sequel of The Social Network.

Fans were left disappointed when reports emerged in June that a sequel was in development, without, Eisenberg's involvement.

During his appearance on the Today Show, A Real Pain star cleared the air about his absence from the upcoming film, The Social Reckoning.

"Listen, for reasons that have nothing to do with how amazing that movie will be, really, truthfully," he said. "But when you play a character, you feel, at some point, you’ve grown into something else."

The Now You See Me: Now You Don’t actor admitted that his connection to the role has run its course. 

"Yeah, something," he continued. "But it's a really wonderful movie. I’m friends with Aaron Sorkin, who wrote and is directing this movie, and all of the reasons that I am not in it are completely unrelated to how brilliant it will be."

Written and directed by Sorkin, the forthcoming sequel stars Jeremy Strong as the new Zuckerberg. In addition to him, Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White and Bill Burr are also among the cast.

What is 'The Social Reckoning' about?

The film takes place 17 years after the original ended. It follows a young Facebook engineer, Frances Haugen (Madison), and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (White), who work together to spotlight the secrets of the social network.

'The Social Reckoning' release date

The Social Reckoning will release on October 13, 2026.