When Aaron Sorkin announced his new film, The Social Reckoning – a sequel to 2010’s The Social Network – many people immediately expected Jesse Eisenberg to return as Mark Zuckerberg. However, Jeremy Strong, known for his role in Succession, will be taking on the role in the movie, scheduled for release in 2026. Eisenberg explained why he won’t be involved, jokingly bringing up a recent art theft at the Louvre first.
The conversation started while he was on TODAY to talk about his new movie, Now You See Me, Now You Don’t, where he plays Danny Atlas, the leader of the Four Horsemen. The movie is coming out next month. When host Craig Melvin asked if it was true he had turned down a role in The Social Reckoning, the actor, known for playing Mark Zuckerberg, replied:
I was visiting Paris and had some tools with me, so I thought about doing something noticeable at the Louvre museum.
Given Danny Atlas and his crew’s penchant for elaborate thefts, some fans playfully suggested the recent incident at the Louvre was actually a clever publicity stunt for the movie Now You See Me, Now You Don’t. During an interview, Craig Melvin acknowledged Jesse Eisenberg’s witty response with a playful “I see what you did there,” to which Eisenberg retorted, “Yeah, I see what you did there – we’re both thinking several steps ahead.” However, when Melvin asked why Eisenberg declined the role in The Social Reckoning, the actor then explained:
It’s not about the movie being good – though it likely will be. When you truly inhabit a role, you inevitably change and develop as a person.
Jesse Eisenberg was becoming well-known in Hollywood when The Social Network was released, having already appeared in films like The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland, and Zombieland. His portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, but Colin Firth won for The King’s Speech. Fifteen years later, Eisenberg told Craig Melvin that he now feels he has moved past that role.
It’s a fantastic film. I know Aaron Sorkin, the writer and director, and my not being in it has nothing to do with how good the movie is going to be.
Ideally, it would have been great if Jesse Eisenberg had returned to play Mark Zuckerberg, creating a stronger link to The Social Network. But it seemed like he wasn’t interested, and even if he had agreed to be in the film, I suspect his performance wouldn’t have been very good. Therefore, I’m now looking forward to seeing what Jeremy Strong brings to the role, even though it’s a smaller part.
Keep an eye out for The Social Reckoning in theaters on October 9, 2026, starring Strong alongside Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr, Wunmi Mosaku, Billy Magnussen, and Betty Glipin. And Jesse Eisenberg returns to the big screen in Now You See Me, Now You Don’t beginning November 14.
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2025-10-31 02:41