Last week, we learned that Jesse Eisenberg had been cast to play Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, in the upcoming film "The Social Network." Already the actor is facing a frequent question: How do you make a compelling story about a social-networking site?
"People have asked me, is it, like, a three-hour movie just on the Web site?" he said at a recent interview to promote his latest flick, "Zombieland." "No, no, no, it's a very methodical retelling of this interesting story."
The story, based on Ben Mezrich's recently released book, "The Accidental Billionaires," is about Harvard students Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin and their quest for social acceptance at their school. Saverin chose to try to get into one of the elite Final Clubs. Zuckerberg hacked into Harvard's computer system and created a database that rated every female student on campus. Though he was almost kicked out of school, it was from this that the framework for Facebook was born.
"The great irony is that while Facebook succeeded by bringing people together, its very success tore two best friends apart," reads the summary of "Accidental Billionaires" summary on Mezrich's site.
"I don't know how much [the movie is] going to appeal to the young Facebookers," Eisenberg said. "It's a very adult movie. It's about the inception of Facebook at Harvard."
If the story itself is not enough to bring in a younger crowd, the recently announced cast might be. In addition to Eisenberg, who is best known for his role opposite Kristen Stewart in "Adventureland,"Justin Timberlake was cast as Facebook founding president and Napster co-founder Sean Parker.
Mezrich's previous novel-to-film adaptation, "21," brought in $81 million domestically last year with only Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth to bring in the younger crowd for the story of MIT students involved in a blackjack card-counting scandal in Las Vegas.
Eisenberg said "The Social Network" would be filming on location at the Harvard campus for three weeks in October.
Jason Bateman On ‘Arrested Development’ Movie: ‘Perhaps That Ship Has Sailed’Amy Winehouse cat calling
