Jesse Eisenberg explains why he turned down 'The Social Reckoning'

Jesse Eisenberg declined 'The Social Reckoning' because he no longer wants to be associated with Mark Zuckerberg

Jesse Eisenberg has explained why he chose not to return as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning, saying he no longer wants to be associated with the Facebook and Meta founder despite holding writer and director Aaron Sorkin in high regard.

Speaking to Variety, the Oscar-nominated actor addressed Sorkin's recent comments that he had spent three days trying to persuade him to reprise his role from 2010's The Social Network.

"It's an honour to speak to Aaron in any capacity, because he's so articulate and charming and so bright," Eisenberg said.

"We talked about doing the movie for several days, as he said. The way Aaron speaks, he speaks so wonderfully, as he writes that, in a way, if you're not going to do something with him, it feels almost like you're letting down America."

Despite praising Sorkin and expressing confidence in the project, Eisenberg said his decision was based on wanting to move in a different direction professionally.

"I just told him I'm moving in different directions in my life, and you know, what he said sums it up nicely. I don't want to be associated with that character," he continued. "But all of my reasons for not wanting to do the movie have nothing to do with how wonderful the movie is, and will be, and I'm sure is already."

Earlier this month, Sorkin shared Eisenberg's reasoning in an interview with Vanity Fair, saying the actor "simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore, that he has his problems with the guy. He doesn't like kids coming up to him in airports with business cards that say 'I'm CEO, b**ch' for him to sign."

The Social Reckoning is set in 2021 and stars Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg. The cast also includes Mikey Madison as Facebook engineer and whistleblower Frances Haugen, alongside Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.

The film is inspired by an exposé examining Facebook's impact on teenagers and its role in the spread of misinformation, scheduled for release on October 9.