Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, is set to be portrayed as a ruthless Silicon Valley overlord in the new movie 'The Social Reckoning'. The film, written by Aaron Sorkin, delves into the darkest corners of Facebook's legacy, including spreading hate speech, encouraging political polarisation, and undermining democracy. This is the second time Zuckerberg has been portrayed on screen, following his depiction as a power-hungry start-upper in 'The Social Network' 16 years ago.
'The Social Reckoning' tells the story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, who were behind the 2021 'Facebook Files' PR disaster for the company. The film stars Mikey Madison as Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Horwitz, with Jeremy Strong playing the Zuckerberg character. Sorkin said the film is a whistleblower story and a newspaper story, and that he put Zuckerberg in a single situation to confront the consequences of his actions.
The situation in the film revolves around Facebook's refusal to fact-check political advertisements on its platform in the run-up to the 2020 US elections. This decision led to President Donald Trump contesting the results and his supporters smashing their way into the Capitol. Sorkin said he did not try to understand Zuckerberg's motives in 'The Social Reckoning', unlike in 'The Social Network'.
In 'The Social Network', Sorkin portrayed Zuckerberg as a socially awkward mogul-in-the-making who had trouble making friends and was accused of ripping off the idea for Facebook from his peers at Harvard University. Sorkin suggested that Zuckerberg created his own 'cool kids table', which he's now the mayor of. In 'The Social Reckoning', Sorkin does not explore Zuckerberg's motivations as he runs his Meta empire.
The American tech billionaire class is inspiring a growing number of films, and becoming more tightly enmeshed in the business side of Hollywood. Other tech billionaires, such as Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have been the subject of films or biopics. Musk was seen as inspiration for a character in the black comedy 'Mickey 17', while Altman was set to be the subject of a biopic 'Artificial' before it was dropped by producers.
Sorkin's script for 'The Social Reckoning' was picked over by lawyers at studio Sony Pictures, and the director re-shot two scenes. However, Sorkin denied that legal fears were to blame for the changes. The film's release comes as Meta faces increasing scrutiny over its impact on society and democracy.
The portrayal of Zuckerberg in 'The Social Reckoning' is set to spark further debate about the role of tech billionaires in society. With the film's release, audiences will be able to see a new interpretation of Zuckerberg's character and the consequences of his actions. The film's themes of whistleblowing, journalism, and accountability are timely and thought-provoking.
Key points
- Mark Zuckerberg faces another damning on-screen depiction in 'The Social Reckoning' movie.
- The film explores Facebook's legacy, including spreading hate speech and undermining democracy.
- The movie is based on the story of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz.
