Sony Pictures releases Aaron Sorkin’s The Social Reckoning, THR reports

Sony Pictures released Aaron Sorkin’s film The Social Reckoning, accompanied by a Hollywood marketing campaign that targets Mark Zuckerberg directly, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony Runs Instagram Roast Ads for The Social Reckoning

The marketing rollout includes a promotional spot featuring the line, Mark Zuckerberg Will Love The Social Reckoning. The ad then immediately follows up with the statement, Instagram doesn’t fact-check most ads. Why should we? according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jeremy Strong Plays Zuckerberg in Sorkin Film

Jeremy Strong portrays an older, more powerful Mark Zuckerberg in the film, shifting away from the character Jesse Eisenberg played in the 2010 film The Social Network, CBS News reported. Aaron Sorkin described the new release as another film about Facebook rather than a strict sequel, noting to The New York Times that it features a returning character played by a different actor in a manner akin to Goodfellas characters appearing in Casino. Mikey Madison stars as whistleblower Frances Haugen, while Jeremy Allen White plays Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.

Haugen Testimony and Algorithm Changes Dive the Plot

The film’s script incorporates direct lines from Haugen’s Senate committee testimony, including her assertion that Facebook is buying its profits with our health and safety, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Sorkin told CBS News that the project explores why people believe untruths, stating, Maybe we can’t handle the truth, and that the reason why so many people believe things that are flat-out untrue is that the lie is easier to believe. Its most famous line from A Few Good Men – You can’t handle the truth – also seems to directly apply to The Social Reckoning, with Sorkin stating, I think the theme is you’re not getting the truth in ‘The Social Reckoning.’ Sorkin previously wrote an open letter to Zuckerberg in The New York Times Opinion pages where he said that Facebook was assaulting truth by allowing lies to be pumped into the ecosystem. In 2022, Sorkin told The Guardian, I very much doubt that I or anyone else is going to write a sequel to The Social Network.

Studio Counter-Programming

The clash occurs amid broader industry friction between Hollywood studios and tech platforms, as companies trade critical documentaries and biographical projects. Despite a New Mexico damages ruling on alleged child exploitation, Instagram’s user base has grown by 25% since Haugen’s testimony, and Haugen herself maintains that social media conditions remain deeply troubled.

More on this story: Aaron Sorkin removes Donald Trump references from The Social Reckoning

Aaron Sorkin