'The Social Reckoning' Star Billy Magnussen Confirms the Film Is Not a True Sequel to 'The Social Network'

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Published Jan 31, 2026, 2:21 PM EST

Summary

Collider's Steve Weintraub speaks with Billy Magnussen for AMC and AMC+'s The Audacity at the Sundance Film Festival 2026.
Magnussen discusses working with Aaron Sorkin and teases the upcoming sequel to The Social Network, The Social Reckoning.
Magnussen also gives us the lowdown on Jonathan Glatzer's eight-episode first season of The Audacity, what his production company, HappyBad Bungalow, has in the works, and the Lilo & Stitch sequel.

A massive turnout of celebrities and filmmakers donned their warmest garb and hit the streets of Park City, Utah, for the city's final Sundance Film Festival before moving to Boulder, Colorado. While promoting his upcoming television series, The Audacity, Billy Magnussen (Lilo & Stitch) stopped by Collider's media studio at the Arby's Cinema Center, where he shared exciting teases for the new show. Talking with our own Steve Weintraub, Magnussen also dropped some interesting tidbits about Aaron Sorkin's upcoming sequel to The Social Network, which earned the writer-director an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Sorkin's sequel, titled The Social Reckoning, stars Magnussen alongside Wunmi Mosaku (Sinners), Jeremy Allen White (Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere), Academy Award winner Mikey Madison (Anora), Academy Award nominee Jeremy Strong (The Apprentice), and Betty Gilpin (The Tomorrow War). This 16-year follow-up to The Social Network, according to Magnussen, however, is "its own story," that follows a young Facebook engineer, Frances Haugen (Madison), who enlists the help of Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (White) to blow the whistle on Mark Zuckerberg (Strong) and the social network's most guarded secrets.

"Again, you’re working with Sorkin, one of the best writers. That's everyone's benchmark is Sorkin... The Social Reckoning is an awesome, awesome movie. I can't really say much, but of course, it's a good movie."

Sorkin, who's best known and acclaimed for his mastery of whip-smart dialogue, is attempting to recapture lightning in a bottle, and from the sounds of it, The Social Reckoning, with its stacked cast, may achieve just that. Magnussen goes on to discuss the writer-director on set and shares an interesting exchange that happened between the two, where Sorkin lived up to his reputation.

"First of all, I want to say I loved working with Aaron Sorkin. I think he's a kind heart, a wonderful guy. He really writes for actors, where you're like, 'Oh, I just have to say his lines and it kind of works.' Actually, the one note I got for saying one of his lines was like, 'It's funny, I write for actors to act. There's a question mark at the end of the sentence.' I was like, "Wait, so you're saying I didn't say it as a question?' He's like, 'Yeah.' I was like, 'Okay, I'll do that, Aaron.' He was that specific."

Magnussen laughs about the comment, clarifying, "But it doesn't bother me. That's your job. He was an awesome, awesome guy."

The Social Reckoning is slated to release in October from Sony Pictures. Check out the full interview from Sundance 2026 below.

'The Audacity' Is So Good, Billy Magnussen "Hunted This Job"

"It’s like a culmination of my 20 years in this industry."

This April, from Emmy Award-winner Jonathan Glatzer (Succession, Breaking Bad) (who Magnussen calls "one of the most brilliant people I've ever worked with"), in his debut as series creator, comes AMC and AMC+'s new drama thriller, The Audacity. The eight-episode series is set to premiere on April 12 and explores the "well-off elites" of Silicon Valley and their quest to harness the greatest power of the modern day: technology.

In the show, Magnussen plays a gutsy data-mining CEO, Duncan Park, who sets his sights on becoming a tech titan amongst the underworld of bored billionaires, psychiatrist gurus, A.I. labs, and tech bros, where "their mistakes affect everyone."

"Our show tackles these big, big issues, these big worlds, but then brings it back to humanity, these people that are defining a generation. And they're humans, too."

Magnussen goes on to say:

"It's the people that are building that world and the unhingedness of what they are... These are tech execs in Silicon Valley making big business, trying to create the world that's around us through tech and merging companies, seeing if you get an acquisition from someone else. It's millions of dollars on the line — $1 billion on the line — so these high stakes for these characters are absurd, and the audacity that they would put themselves in the craziest situations to close a deal. You'll see when you watch the show if it's a successful moment or failure."

In addition to Magnussen, The Audacity stars Zach Galifianakis (Lilo & Stitch) as Carl Bardolph, Sarah Goldberg (Barry) as Dr. JoAnne Felder, Lucy Punch (Animal Control) as Lili Park-Hoffsteader, Rob Corddry (Bookie) as Tom Ruffage, Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) as Martin Phister, with Randall Park (WandaVision) guest starring as Gabe, the "qualm-free CFO of a data mining operation."

Watch the full interview in the video above for more on what to expect coming out of Magnussen's production company, HappyBad Bungalow, his tease for Disney's live-action sequel to Lilo & Stitch, and more.

00:32 - Celebrating the Final Sundance in Park City
02:17 - Billy Magnussen “Hunted” Down The Audacity
04:12 - The Audacity Deals in Billion-Dollar Stakes
04:58 - Will The Audacity Have Multiple Seasons?
05:38 - Billy Magnussen Learned What Not to Do on The Audacity
07:00 - The Audacity Brings the Star Power
08:06 - Billy Magnussen’s Star Wars Moment Disappoints
09:55 - Billy Magnussen Shares His Favorite Robert Redford Roles
10:49 - Will He Return for Lilo & Stitch 2?
11:27 - What’s Up Next From HappyBad Bungalow?
13:53 - Billy Magnussen Teases The Social Network Sequel
16:26 - Billy Magnusses Teases His Projects in the Works
17:06 - Billy Magnussen Shares Favorite Movies from Iconic Directors

The Audacity premieres on AMC and AMC+ on April 12, with new episodes dropping every Sunday. Be sure to check back with Collider for more exciting news coming from the Sundance Film Festival 2026.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, Arby’s, for making the Collider Studio happen at the Arby’s Cinema Center and keeping us all fed with their selection of curly fries, mozzarella sticks, and tastes of their new Italian Beef Dip, a new limited-time sandwich that brings Chicago-style flavors to its menu. In addition, thanks to our supporting partners, including Hendrick’s Gin, Sommsation - The Wine Company, Peroni USA, neau water, Bernier, and our producing partner Twenty35 Agency.