Topline
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin hinted at a new film that could be a sequel to “The Social Network” Friday on a podcast when he said he is trying to write a movie about the Jan. 6, 2021 riot and Facebook’s role in what happened.
Key Facts
During a live recording of “The Town with Matthew Belloni,” Sorkin said “I blame Facebook for January 6” and, when asked to further explain, the filmmaker said “you’ll have to buy a movie ticket.”
He said he believes there should be a “constant tension between growth and integrity” at Facebook, but the site’s founder Mark Zuckerberg has focused only on growth.
Sorkin also said the site is “tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible because that is what will increase engagement.”
Sorkin’s 2010 film “The Social Network” told the story of Zuckerberg creating Facebook when he was a student at Harvard University and what happened behind the scenes as it became a major social media network.
Will It Be A Sequel To ‘the Social Network?’
When the podcast hosts asked Sorkin pointblank if he intended this project to be a sequel, Sorkin said he would “give (his publicist) a break” and not discuss it further. Sorkin has hinted he would like to do a sequel to the film in the past. In 2021, he told The Hollywood Reporter “what has been going on with Facebook these last few years is a story very much worth telling, and there is a way to tell it as a follow up to ‘The Social Network,’” though Sorkin wouldn’t confirm plans, then either.
Big Number
$96,962,694. That’s how much “The Social Network” grossed at the domestic box office, according to Box Office Mojo.
Surprising Fact
“The Social Network” is Sorkin’s best reviewed movie on Rotten Tomatoes, with a tomato-meter score of 96% and audience score of 87%. The movie won three Oscars in 2011 and was nominated in eight categories, including Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Achievement in Directing.
