Aaron Sorkin Says “It Never Occurred To Me” That Jesse Eisenberg Wouldn’t Want To Return For ‘The Social Reckoning’

Aaron Sorkin, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Social Network, has revealed that he was surprised when Jesse Eisenberg declined to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in Sorkin's new film, The Social Reckoning. According to Sorkin, it "never occurred" to him that Eisenberg wouldn't want to return for the sequel.

Sorkin had made efforts to court Eisenberg, sending him a script and outlining his reasons for why he should return to the role. Deadline and Variety reported that Eisenberg denied Sorkin's friend request on Facebook for the film. TheWrap added that Sorkin also mentioned that Sony Pictures made a considerable offer to Eisenberg, but the actor was not motivated by money.

The Social Reckoning premieres on October 9. According to TheWrap, Sorkin noted that Eisenberg was concerned about raising his kids with too much money, and that money was actually a disincentive for him. Sorkin expressed some optimism that he had come close to changing Eisenberg's mind, with Eisenberg reportedly saying that Sorkin had "come closer to changing my mind than I thought you were going to."

Brief written by urgent.news from Deadline, TheWrap, Variety — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.