Two Upcoming Movies Have Already Stolen The Social Network 2's Thunder

The Social Network Part II is currently in development, but two other movies releasing before it could be more important looks at the permeating world of technological innovation. As it stands, the Social Network sequel isn’t shaping up to be what was hoped, with a new cast and director joining the project.

Many different components of The Social Network worked. Sorkin’s script was pertinent and smart, the Social Network cast was strong, David Fincher’s direction was dark and moody, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’ score gave the film a stylish and strong texture. With only Sorkin returning, it is difficult to imagine the new film living up to the original.

In addition, what worked about The Social Network was how it captured the cultural innovations of tech inventions, resulting in Facebook. While Facebook has evolved in how it influences life, there are other websites and products like it that might be better reflections of the current state of the world. These will be explored in these two upcoming films.

Swiped & Artificial Are New-Era Movies About The Internet’s Modern Age

The staff of Tinder pose for a pH๏τo in the trailer for Swiped

The first movie coming soon that gives a detailed look at how much the internet has shifted everyday life is the Lily James-starring Swiped, a biopic about Whitney Wolfe Herd. Herd was the co-founder of Tinder and would go on to found Bumble, for which she worked as the CEO.

The new movie’s trailer promises to explore the Silicon Valley drama and entrepreneurship of how these applications were created, and how they went on to influence daily life. More than this, the film promises to show the darker side of these services, which led to Herd filing a Sєxual harᴀssment suit against Tinder.

Swiped is a Hulu release, and it will come to streaming on September 19th after a Gala presentation at TIFF 2025. The film is directed by Unpregnant‘s Rachel Lee Goldenberg, and co-stars Dan Stevens, Dermot Mulroney, and Myha’la.

Meanwhile, Artificial looks at the recent development of ChatGPT and other AI technologies by chronicling the story of Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The film has an exciting cast, and will look at the still-evolving technology of artificial intelligence similarily to The Social Network‘s exploration of social media.

There are some obvious points of comparison between the films. Andrew Garfield, who broke through in The Social Network, stars in the film as Sam Altman. Bringing Garfield in could allow Artifical to feel like a spiritual Social Network sequel, but there is also the possibility of another big point of connection.

Artificial is directed by Luca Guadagnino, and he has worked with Social Network composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on his four most recent movies, including the upcoming After the Hunt. This makes bringing the Nine Inch Nails band members in to score Artificial a strong possibility.

Artificial is a little bit further off than Swiped, but has already begun filming. The new film remains in production and is set for release in 2026. The movie features Monica Barbaro, Yura Borisov, and Cooper Hoffman in its cast as well as Ike Barinholtz as Elon Musk.

Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg leaning back and looking upset in The Social Network.

The Social Network was largely about how internet use has changed the social landscape, and there is still much more story to explore within that. Facebook and Meta have grown even more influential in the technology space, acquiring other notable products like Instagram, and having significant influence over how news is understood and consumed.

Still, a Social Network sequel that looks into misinformation and political influence feels like a distinctly different beast from the first film. While it could wind up being a very important project, it sounds like it might skew closer to a movie about journalism rather than about the changing landscape of the internet.

Dating and relationships have changed enormously in the past decades after the advent of dating apps like Tinder and Bumble. This seismic change in how people connect, which has had both positive and negative effects, could make for a fascinating story in Swiped.

Artificial, meanwhile, has a great deal in common with the original Social Network in examining a still-evolving technology. Seeing the origins of artificial features and how quickly they have become so popularized could make for a compelling and contemporary story.

As the world continues to change, each of these tech products is likely to remain dominant. While a sequel to The Social Network could be a great idea, the potential recasting of Mark Zuckerberg and Aaron Sorkin helming the project makes it feel more like an original film that will compete with these other stories than a true sequel.

Artificial and Swiped look to do what audiences have wanted from The Social Network Part II, and they will be releasing sooner. While Sorkin’s follow-up to the hit 2010 film will still likely be a well-made and important story, it seems that these other projects could wind up being much more timely and significant additions to the cinematic canon.