Jesse Eisenberg has revealed why he decided not to reprise his role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's upcoming sequel to The Social Network.

Speaking to Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of Minions & Monsters on Sunday, Eisenberg said he had several discussions with Sorkin about the project before declining the role.

“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. 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”.

Explaining his decision, Eisenberg said, “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, 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 told Vanity Fair that he spent three days trying to persuade Eisenberg to return as Zuckerberg. However, the actor ultimately decided against reprising the role because he no longer wanted to be associated with the Facebook co-founder.

Jeremy Strong will portray Zuckerberg in The Social Reckoning. The film follows Facebook engineer Frances Haugen (Mikey Madison), and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwit (Jeremy Allen White), whose reporting examines the company's internal operations.

The sequel is based on a 2021 investigative series that highlighted Facebook's impact on teenagers and its role in the spread of misinformation, including content linked to political violence.