Jeremy Strong is the new Zuckerberg

It was just confirmed today that Jeremy Strong will take over the role of “Mark Zuckerberg” in Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to The Social Network. Sorkin will direct this time around, too, and the film will also star Jeremy Allen White, Mikey Madison, and Bill Burr. The film has already been set for an October 2026 release, which will make it prime Oscar bait for the 2026-27 trophy season. All this comes on the eve of The Social Network’s fifteenth anniversary.

Strong is currently doing the rounds for the Bruce Springsteen biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (should have used one or the other part of that title, not both). He plays the Boss’s manager, Jon Landau. He was on The Late Show last night and actually seemed to have a little fun.

 

We know Jeremy Strong is a sensitive and dedicated artist, but I have a theory that Succession was so inherently stressful—top-speed drama all the time on the page—that Strong internalized too much of the narrative stress and made it his actual stress. Since the show ended, he’s seemed looser and more willing to play. Like letting go of Kendal Roy made him lighter somehow. Anyway, I’m wary of Aaron Sorkin without someone else’s influence to temper his worst impulses (see also: The Newsroom), but I am so curious to see how a contemporary project about Zuckerberg is received. The worm has really turned, the “boy genius” label is thoroughly gone, there’s virtually no public sympathy for Zuckerberg anymore. This will be a very different kind of narrative, and I do think Jeremy Strong is the right guy for the job.

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What else happened today…

Why DOES everyone want to be “the cool aunt”? Could it be because it’s fun? Being an auntie is all of the fun, none of the responsibilities! You get to give the kid back at the end of the day, night, whatever, and you don’t have to put up with the temper tantrums or sick days! You also get to keep your independence and live life on your own schedule while still indulging in the love and affection of a nibling. It’s not rocket science. (Popsugar)

Glen Powell showed up to the Chad Powers premiere in bright blue. The color looks good on him. Powell was the first guest back on Jimmy Kimmel Live! earlier this week, Disney keeping it in the family as Chad Powers is a Hulu show. He talked about how his family has a kangaroo and a capuchin monkey. First of all, Texas has notoriously lax exotic pet laws. Secondly, I’m pretty sure this is some kind of rescue situation, and the family has a ranch, so they have space for the animals. 

It’s never ideal to have wild animals living with humans, but because some states DO have notoriously lax exotic pet laws, you inevitably end up with wild animals that cannot be released and need safe, caring places to live. Where I grew up in Texas, the people down the road rescued a pair of zebras and a jealousy of peacocks (the peacocks SUCKED). Anyway, the best-case scenario is that the monkey and kangaroo are safe, which they seem to be with the Powells. (Go Fug Yourself)

Meghan McCain throwing stones from her glass house, accusing Violet Affleck of being a “nepo baby” after Affleck spoke at the United Nations. Girl, your whole career(?) is built on being a politician’s daughter, sit down. (Celebitchy)

Drama in the Irish fields! Jack Kennedy (not that one) is stepping down as editor of the Farmers Journal after a “rift” with the Agricultural Trust. The source of the drama is “editorial overreach” and the lease of a demonstration farm that is maybe losing money, but was maybe never supposed to make money. Picking through the wool, it seems like somebody somewhere wants a journal about agriculture to make money and it’s not, or not making enough, which is like…yeah. Special interest journals rarely make money. They exist to serve the community around the special interest. 

Anyway. Irish farm drama! But also, one of the things that charmed me most about Ireland is the abundance of family farms in the countryside, don’t start selling that out, Eire. Once you let go of the family farm, you never get it back. Just ask Nebraska. (The Irish Times)