Sorkin: $15 Million Film Reveals Directing Gap

Aaron Sorkin’s latest film, The Social Reckoning, has grossed just $15 million worldwide. The number stands in stark contrast to the project's $40 million production budget. Sony released the picture in theaters nationwide on October 9. The film received a 54 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes. These figures mark a notable dip for a writer often cited among the greatest of his generation.

Sorkin discussed the results during an interview at the Newport Beach Film Festival last week. He was receiving the fest’s Maverick Director Award at the time. The filmmaker described himself as the second choice to helm the project. He noted that David Fincher, who directed Sorkin’s 2010 hit The Social Network, had an exclusive deal with Netflix. Because Sony owned the rights to this new story about Facebook, Fincher was unavailable. Sorkin stepped behind the camera instead.

The film focuses on the social media company’s internal knowledge of its societal impact. It features Mikey Madison as a whistleblower who alerts a journalist, played by Jeremy Allen White, to the issue. Jeremy Strong portrays Mark Zuckerberg in the production. Sorkin wrote the script for the movie. This marks his fourth directing credit, following Molly’s Game, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and Being the Ricardos.

The 65-year-old admitted that the experience of directing has been difficult. He stated that he feels as though he just entered the movie business minutes ago. Sorkin compared screenwriting to a skill with learnable and unlearnable components. He expressed worry that his weaknesses in directing fall into the unlearnable category, which he defines as talent. He specifically cited a lack of visual sensibility as a major hurdle. He said he was surprised by how little of the science of filmmaking he had absorbed.

Sorkin has written for 35 years. His credits include A Few Good Men, The American President, and Charlie Wilson’s War. He also wrote every episode of the first four seasons of NBC’s The West Wing. He works with acclaimed directors such as Rob Reiner and Mike Nichols when they are not behind the camera. Despite this experience, he acknowledged that the learning curve for visual storytelling was steeper than he anticipated. He emphasized that he is not done wanting to work with great directors, but he has learned from the process of collaborating with them.

He drew a parallel to football coaches after a loss. Those coaches often claim the elements for a win were present but failed to align. Sorkin said he feels the same way about his directing. He believes he has done things right along the way and simply needs one more chance to put everything together. He remains active in other media. He mentioned a desire to revive The West Wing, though he noted the cast has aged and he requires a strong story to drive the dialogue. He is also rewriting his first play, A Few Good Men, for a new Lincoln Center production.

Sorkin observed that the mid-range budget movie is disappearing. He noted that 10 of his 11 films would likely be streaming projects today, with A Few Good Men being the exception. This shift in the industry landscape adds another layer to his current work. He continues to balance his writing and directing responsibilities as he navigates these changes.