Jeremy Strong
Credit: Reuters Photo
Los Angeles: Succession star Jeremy Strong is in negotiations to essay the role of META Ceo and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network Part II.
No formal offer has been presented to the actor, but he is the top choice of the makers for the role, as reported by entertainment news outlet Deadline.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the Sony Pictures project will reportedly star Jeremy Allen White and Mikey Madison.
The Social Network Part II is described as a follow-up and not a straight sequel to David Fincher's critically acclaimed directorial The Social Network, which was released in 2010.
Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and Justin Timberlake, among others, it was written by Sorkin from the 2009 book "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich. The book chronicled how Zuckerberg started Facebook from his dorm at Harvard University as well as the legal dispute he had with co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
The sequel will reportedly tackle the story behind the Wall Street Journal‘s article series "The Facebook Files" by Jeff Horowitz. The reports, published in October 2021, exposed the inner workings of — and multiple harms caused by — the world’s largest social network.
The film is produced by Todd Black, Peter Rice, Sorkin, and Stuart Besser.
Jesse Eisenberg played Zuckerberg's role in the first film. The actor also received an Oscar nomination for the role. The film earned eight Oscar nominations in total, and went on to win three of them for best adapted screenplay for Sorkin, best original score, and best film editing.
Strong's last work is The Apprentice. Directed by Ali Abbasi, the film was released in October and also featured Maria Bakalova and Sebastian Stan. Strong played the role of Roy Cohn in the film.