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Eisenberg and Timberlake Confirmed for The Social Network

by Alex Billington
September 22, 2009

Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield

Oh no. Variety has reported tonight that Columbia Pictures and David Fincher have officially chosen the lead cast for their Facebook movie called The Social Network. They confirm that Jesse Eisenberg (Adventureland, Zombieland) will play Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake (Black Snake Moan) will play Sean Parker, the Napster co-founder who became Facebook’s founding president, and Andrew Garfield (Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Red Riding Trilogy) will play Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg as the social network became a financial juggernaut.

Production will begin next month in Boston and then move to Los Angeles. Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca, Dana Brunetti and Cean Chaffin will produce. Kevin Spacey is executive producer. As previously reported, the film will focus on the evolution of Facebook, the social network co-created by Mark Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin in 2004 on the Harvard campus. You can read about the actual founding story in the script review report we wrote about in July. It was first rumored three weeks back that Eisenberg, Timberlake, and Garfield might be cast. I didn't expect that report to turn out to be true, but apparently it was accurate.

I'm not too happy with these casting choices. Timberlake is fine, he's a good actor and apparently fits the role of Sean Parker very well, as a playboy. Garfield, while good in Terry Gilliam's Imaginarium, is still kind of a budding actor in my mind, but I don't know much about his real life character. However, Eisenberberg just gets under my skin. I liked Eisenberg way back when he starred in The Squid and the Whale, but since then, he's become very annoying. He's another one of those nervous, nerdy young actors like Michael Cera that I'm getting tired of seeing just play themselves (and not their character). And even with David Fincher directing, I just don't know if I'll be able to love this as much as I want with him in the lead. Thoughts?

Explore tags: Casting, Movie News

Joey

the only reason i'm not worried is David Fincher...if he wasn't directing I would be concerned with these choices. I know Fincher knows what he is doing and this will somehow be a great movie. Plus I actually think Timberlake is hillarious, I don't know how funny he will need to be in this role, but I know his SNL skits are the only ones worth watching
Sabes

Interesting stuff.... Timberlake looks so effin pasty in that picture.
Josh

Please don't ever compare Eisenberg with Michael Cera. Eisenberg actually has a lot of range.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

^ I agree about that, I'm just getting tired of Eisenberg for the same reasons I'm getting tired of Cera - because he plays a nervous, high-voiced quirky guy, and never gets really in to the character.
http://www.scriptshadow.blogspot.com Script Shadow

Come on Alex! You doubted my sources!???
Blue Silver

Damn that Timberflake---I can't stand that conniving weasel!!!
Jimbone

i think this movie will be fine. but mostly because i don't see it as particularly important.
Clover

This film has SUCK written all over it.
SlashBeast

Fincher has failed to reach the heights of Se7en and Fight Club. And, unfortunately, his involvement no longer guarantees a good movie.
Jason

I agree with Alex, Eisenberg's involvement really makes me want to avoid this movie even more than I was going to before. He isn't a good actor, hands down. Maybe he's been typecast as the guy to get when Michael Cera turns down your movie, because every role I've seen him take on is exactly like that. Adventure land was one of the worst movies I've seen in years, and part of that reason was his acting. Predictable, precocious, awkward, infinitely annoying.
Jen

Justin? David Fincher must be crazy!
Jen

Zodiac was a great movie, but Button ...
Wylles

Instead of a Movie about the invention of Facebook i would have prefered a movie about the invention of Internet, or The Ipod, Or The Laptop, or the Wars between Internet Explorer vs Netscape, or AMD Vs Intel, anyway I think any of those movies belong in The History Channel, or the Management TV Channel...
Chuck Norris

Eisenberg = 2 thumbs way down
I am Ron Burgandy?

uh wow this cast is every homesexuals wet dream! Now the only thing better would be if they make a music video togetther and sing it in the rain ( insilk shirts of course), You know to really start the movie with a bang!