When Aaron Sorkin made 2010's "The Social Network," he admitted at the time that he had heard of Facebook "the way I've heard of a carburetor."

Sixteen years later, he has a far more profound understanding of what Mark Zuckerberg's social media empire has become.

At the time, Facebook was a way to reconnect with former high school classmates; now, it serves a very different purpose.

Sorkin observes that while 'The Social Network' depicted the platform's creation, 'Social Reckoning' explores its current role, particularly regarding Facebook's contribution to extremism and societal division.

"The Social Reckoning," which Sony Pictures will release on Oct. 9, is among the most timely films arriving in theaters this fall.

Last week, Sony debuted the trailer on the same day that Meta, Facebook's parent company, agreed to pay up to $18 billion in penalties over claims that its platform endangered children.

"The Social Reckoning" is set to scrutinize the social media giant even more closely at a time when Zuckerberg faces unprecedented pressure over Facebook's role in modern life and politics.

“When you see this movie, first and foremost, I want you to be entertained,” Sorkin said in a recent exclusive interview with Reporters while completing the final mix on the film.

“Secondly, you should be alarmed when you watch it.

I believe people will be.”

“The Social Reckoning” is among a number of films this autumn that will target the tech magnates who have played a pivotal role in reshaping American life.

Alex Gibney is set to unveil his four-hour documentary on Elon Musk, titled “Musk,” on Oct. 16.

Luca Guadagnino’s “Artificial” dramatizes the saga of Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI.

Given its subject and the formidable legacy of "The Social Network," "The Social Reckoning," which Sorkin wrote and directed, is certain to generate significant controversy.

Widely considered one of the best American films of the century, the movie—directed by David Fincher and written by Sorkin—did much to examine and mythologize Facebook's origins.

As Sorkin himself admits, that is a high bar to meet.

"To be perfectly honest, I had my doubts," Sorkin said.

"I'm well aware of the influence that 'The Social Network' has.

But I think that ten minutes into the film, you'll have forgotten about that and be fully engaged in this story."

For the 65-year-old Sorkin, “The Social Reckoning” isn’t a sequel.

It centers on the same figure, Zuckerberg, but portrays him and his company at a markedly different juncture.

Sorkin remarks that it is as though Henry Hill had walked into “Casino,” invoking the protagonist of “Goodfellas.”

Sorkin first began contemplating "The Social Reckoning" around 2019, at the same time he wrote an op-ed in The New York Times addressed to Zuckerberg.

In it, he argued that Facebook — which had just announced it would no longer fact-check political ads — was responsible for "crazy lies pumped into the water supply that corrupt the most important decisions we make together."

Zuckerberg responded by quoting Sorkin's own dialogue from "The American President" about free speech.

"I read this, and it struck me: it's simply inconceivable that Mark and those around him fail to distinguish between an unpopular opinion and a lie," Sorkin remarks.

"And that notion lingered with me."

Sorkin has since acknowledged that he holds Facebook responsible for the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.

Eventually, he was persuaded by Sony chief Tom Rothman and agent Ari Emanuel to venture back into one of his most cherished films.

“I made it clear from the outset that I had no desire to write ‘Jaws 2.’ I was reluctant to return and risk failure,” says Sorkin.

“Then I met Frances Haugen and Jeff Horwitz, and my perspective began to shift.

I came to recognize that there was a compelling story here, and the sole deterrent was fear.

And that, frankly, is not a sufficient justification.”

“The Social Reckoning” stars Mikey Madison as Haugen, a former data scientist at Facebook who became a whistleblower in 2021 and testified before Congress that Facebook was tuning its algorithm to put profit before public safety.

Jeremy Allen White plays Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz, a former journalist.

Jeremy Strong, not Jesse Eisenberg, plays Zuckerberg.

Zuckerberg and Meta have yet to issue any public statement regarding “The Social Reckoning.”

The company declined to comment for this article.

While preparing "The Social Network," Sorkin and producer Scott Rudin contacted the company hoping to gain its cooperation.

However, after a lunch meeting, Facebook declined to participate — a fortunate turn of events, as Sorkin later realized.

The script, Sorkin has said, "was vetted to within an inch of its life by a team of studio lawyers."

A similar process has followed for "The Social Reckoning."

“I would have been delighted to speak with him. I’ve never met Mark. I don’t know him at all,” Sorkin says.

“And I don’t claim to possess any understanding of how his mind operates, only the outcomes of how his mind operates, and then I more or less work backward to reconstruct it.”

Sorkin initially approached Eisenberg about reprising the role of Zuckerberg.

Prior to disclosing his intentions to Eisenberg, or to anyone else for that matter, Sorkin devoted two years to researching and crafting the screenplay.

“I wasn't aware that Jesse simply had no desire to ever play Mark Zuckerberg again,” Sorkin explains.

“I talked with him extensively over a three-day weekend.

He was clear that he loves ‘The Social Network,’ he loves how it launched his career, and he just doesn't like being associated with Mark Zuckerberg.

I was really lucky that Jeremy Strong had said, ‘Hey, listen, if for some reason Jesse doesn't want to do it.’”

“It’s a case of replacing Joe DiMaggio with Mickey Mantle,” he remarks.

Strong's performance, Sorkin remarks, "is a sight to behold."

Although the writer-director was content to have had no direct dealings with Zuckerberg, Strong reached out to the Facebook co-founder via email.

"Mark had no stauncher advocate than Jeremy Strong, believe me," Sorkin remarks.

"Each evening, I would get emails from him championing Mark.

On the day we shot Jeremy's last scene, as soon as we finished, he ran up to me and, for the first time, spoke in his own voice—he had only been using Mark's.

He came up to me and said, 'If I had been playing Jeff, I'd have been defending Jeff.'

It was very important to him that I knew he didn't mean any of that."

Upon the release of “The Social Network,” a postscript was included, designed to astonish audiences with the revelation that Facebook boasted 500 million users at the time.

Presently, that figure stands at roughly 3 billion.

Furthermore, research conducted by Pew indicates that 38% of Americans rely on Facebook as a source of news.

"I have a lot of empathy for wanting to build something, wanting to create something," Sorkin says.

"He has the kind of mind that can invent an entirely new social structure — one that he does feel comfortable in because he can sit at his keyboard.

And it's one that a lot of people feel a lot more comfortable in.

There's someone they can be at their keyboard that they can't in not-digital life."