The Social Network 2 Takes On The Moment That Got Donald Trump Impeached
Aaron Sorkin has kicked off filming on The Social Network 2: The Social Reckoning in Vancouver, with downtown streets standing in for Washington, DC, as the sequel threads the January 6 attack—and the second impeachment of Donald Trump—into the Social Network saga.
Well, it’s happening: Aaron Sorkin is actually making The Social Network 2, and yes, he’s swinging straight at January 6. Production just kicked off in Vancouver, where downtown is being dressed up as Washington, DC. That choice alone tells you where this thing is headed.
What this sequel really is
The movie goes by The Social Reckoning, and instead of a retread of dorm-room genius and tech-bro betrayals, it’s built around Facebook’s whistleblower Frances Haugen, played by Mikey Madison. The story is drawn from the Wall Street Journal’s investigative series The Facebook Files, with WSJ reporter Jeff Horwitz factoring into Haugen’s arc. If you followed that reporting, you know it’s not subtle about how Facebook amplified toxic stuff at scale.
Recreating January 6 on camera
On set: MAGA hats, camo, American flags — the whole visual language of the Capitol riot. Not exactly a mystery why. Sorkin has been very public about blaming Facebook’s engagement machine for helping pump election-fraud lies that culminated in the Capitol being stormed. Five people died in the aftermath of that day, and Donald Trump was impeached for a second time over his repeated false claims that the 2020 results were illegitimate. That was the breaking point that pushed Sorkin to write this sequel in the first place.
"Facebook has been, among other things, tuning its algorithm to promote the most divisive material possible. Because that is what will increase engagement and because that is what will get you to, what they call inside the hallways of Facebook, the infinite scroll."
Given that, expect a movie that’s bigger in scope than the original Jesse Eisenberg-led drama. Less brilliant-coders-in-hoodies, more national crisis.
New Zuckerberg, new vibe
Jesse Eisenberg isn’t back. Jeremy Strong is stepping in as an older Mark Zuckerberg — a very different texture from the first film, and that’s the point. Strong has made it clear he isn’t cribbing from Eisenberg’s take.
"No, I think that has nothing to do with what I’m going to do."
For what it’s worth, Strong’s recent credits include the Bruce Springsteen biopic — a very different lane from tech drama, which makes this casting more intriguing.
Sorkin behind the camera this time
Another twist: David Fincher isn’t directing. Sorkin is. That alone changes the temperature of the movie. Combine that with the subject matter and, yeah, some corners of the audience are not going to be thrilled. That’s probably by design.
Context check and what to expect
The original The Social Network was a critical and commercial winner — 7.8 on IMDb, 96% Tomatometer and 87% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes, and $224.9 million worldwide. This one isn’t trying to repeat that formula; it’s pointing the camera at what came after.
- Title: The Social Reckoning (aka The Social Network 2)
- Filming: Underway in Vancouver, doubling for Washington, DC
- Story focus: Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison) and The Facebook Files; Jeff Horwitz involved in the narrative
- Set details: Riot-era wardrobe and flags spotted as the production recreates January 6
- Zuckerberg: Jeremy Strong takes over from Jesse Eisenberg as an older version
- Director: Aaron Sorkin (not David Fincher this time)
- Release date: October 9, 2026
Bottom line: Sorkin isn’t making a nostalgia sequel; he’s making the court case for how the platform era curdled. Buckle up.