Andrew Garfield officially confirms that he will not be returning in The Social Network sequel

The Social Network Part II, which is officially called The Social Reckoning, is currently under development and Andrew Garfield is not returning for the sequel. The film is still in the early stages of development, having been confirmed just a few months ago. Aaron Sorkin who wrote the screenplay for the first film, The Social Network, will be writing the sequel as well.

While The Social Network sequel has a fresh cast, many were expecting Andrew Garfield to return as Eduardo Saverin, co-founder of Facebook. But as IndieWire reports, Garfield will not be returning in the sequel.

Andrew Garfield on returning for The Social Network sequel

The Social Network was released in 2010 and portrayed the story of how Facebook was founded, and the lawsuits that followed Mark Zuckerberg afterwards. The film starred Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield as Eduardo Saverin, Justin Timberlake as Sean Parker, Armie Hammer as Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Brenda Song as Christy Lee, Rashida Jones as Marylin Delpy, and Max Minghella as Divya Narendra, among others.

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When IndieWire asked Andrew Garfield of he will be returning as Eduardo Saverin in The Social Reckoning, Garfield said:

“No, no, Eduardo [Saverin] is in Singapore having a good time.”

But Garfield is surely going to watch the film when it releases. When IndieWire asked him if he was excited for the upcoming film, Garfield said,

“Oh yeah.”

Thus, we won't be seeing Garfield return as Saverin, who moved to Singapore in 2009. Saverin insisted that his move was solely for the purpose of working in Singapore and not to evade tax bills back in America. But as The Wall Street Journal reported back in 2012, Saverin said:

"I am obligated to and will pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to the United States government. I have paid and will continue to pay any taxes due on everything I earned while a U.S. citizen."

Thus, perhaps what Garfield wanted to say was that because Saverin hasn't been in America or around anything related to Facebook for quite some time, it probably isn't relevant to depict him as a character in the sequel. Which in turn means Garlfield doesn't need to reprise the role.

The Social Reckoning will be starring Jeremy Strong as Mark Zuckerberg, Mikey Madison as Frances Haugen, Jeremy Allen White as Jeff Horwitz, and Bill Burr in an unspecified role. The film is produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Releasing.

The original film was based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich and directed by David Fincher. Producers on the film were Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, and Ceán Chaffin. The production companies behind the film were Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Scott Rudin Productions, Michael De Luca Productions, and Trigger Street Productions. The Social Network won four Golden Globe Awards, three BAFTAs, and three Academy Awards.