Aaron Sorkin says money was a ‘disincentive’ for Jesse Eisenberg to return as Mark Zuckerberg

It’s infuriating,” Sorkin. “If anything, money is a disincentive for him. It’s admirable.

He’s very concerned about raising his kids with too much money.”After realising that money would not be enough to convince Eisenberg, Sorkin said he made a list of things the actor could do with the money, including producing Broadway plays. However, Eisenberg still turned down the opportunity.

Sorkin revealed that he spent three days trying to persuade Eisenberg to reconsider. He even prepared an outline for their conversations, which included arguments about the opportunity to play Zuckerberg again and the scenes he could perform in the film.

The actor did come close to changing his mind, with Sorkin recalling Eisenberg telling him during one of their conversations that he had come closer to persuading him than expected. However, Eisenberg ultimately remained firm in his decision.

Sorkin explained that Eisenberg no longer wanted to be associated with Zuckerberg, particularly because of the physical resemblance between the actor and the billionaire and because the role remains one of Eisenberg’s best-known performances.

Eisenberg previously addressed his decision at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in July, saying he did not want to be associated with Zuckerberg anymore because he did not like the comparison. Instead, Jeremy Strong plays Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning, which Sorkin describes as a companion piece to The Social Network.

Set 16 years after the original film, the new story explores how Facebook developed into a much larger and more influential company. The film is based on events surrounding The Wall Street Journal’s 2021 investigation known as “The Facebook Files” and also stars Jeremy Allen White as journalist Jeff Horwitz and Mikey Madison as Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen.

The Social Reckoning is set to hit cinemas on October 9.