Jesse Eisenberg has opened up about his decision to walk away from reprising his iconic role as Mark Zuckerberg in the upcoming sequel to The Social Network, revealing that declining the offer from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin came with an unexpected weight.

The 42-year-old actor, who received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of the Facebook founder in David Fincher’s 2010 drama, confirmed he will not appear in The Social Reckoning. The role will instead be played by Succession star Jeremy Strong .

Speaking to Variety at the Los Angeles premiere of Minions & Monsters, Eisenberg explained that while he holds Sorkin in the highest regard, he felt it was time to move on from the character . "It's an honour to speak to Aaron in any capacity, because he's so articulate and charming and so bright," Eisenberg said.

The actor noted that he and Sorkin discussed the project for several days before he made his final decision . Describing the persuasive power of the acclaimed writer, Eisenberg joked, "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" .

Despite the praise, Eisenberg clarified that his choice was a personal one. "I just told him I'm moving in different directions in my life," he stated. "I don't want to be associated with that character" .

He emphasized that his decision had nothing to do with the quality of the script or the film's potential. "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," he explained .

Earlier this month, Sorkin told Vanity Fair that he had spent three days trying to persuade Eisenberg to return. Sorkin revealed that the actor "simply did not want to be conflated with Mark Zuckerberg anymore," citing incidents where fans would approach him with business cards quoting his character's signature line from the original film .

The Social Reckoning, written and directed by Sorkin, is set in 2021 and centers on the Facebook whistleblower scandal. Alongside Jeremy Strong as Zuckerberg, the cast includes Mikey Madison as Frances Haugen and Jeremy Allen White as Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz . The film is scheduled for release on October 9 .