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“The Social Reckoning” soundtrack, featuring music by composer Alexandre Desplat, is set to be released on Oct. 9.
Written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, the film stars Mikey Madison, Jeremy Allen White, Bill Burr and Jeremy Strong.
Strong takes on the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, succeeding Jesse Eisenberg, who led “The Social Network” in 2010.
The film tells the true story of former Facebook engineer Frances Haugen (Madison) and Wall Street Journal reporter Jeff Horwitz (White), whose reporting exposed the company’s internal research and decision-making. Their work culminated in “The Facebook Files,” a 2021 investigative series revealing Facebook’s harmful effects on teens and its role in spreading misinformation, including content linked to political violence.
Desplat recorded the score with a full orchestra on the John Williams Scoring Stage at Sony Pictures Studios. The score embraces a rich symphonic palette that moves seamlessly between intimate character moments and large-scale dramatic sequences.
“When I first read Aaron Sorkin’s script, I was taken aback by the sophistication of his writing,” said Desplat. “The dialogue is integral to this film. The language ended up being more important to this score than any other music I’ve ever written. The greatest challenge was finding the rhythm between their voices and performances, to find the right moment for music to join the actors in the scene.”
His score explores the competing forces that define the film’s central narrative: courage and uncertainty, conviction and doubt, personal sacrifice and public responsibility. At the heart of the score is a musical portrait of Haugen, whose journey from employee to whistleblower forms the film’s emotional core. Through themes that balance vulnerability and determination, Desplat’s music reflects a character wrestling with difficult choices before ultimately acting on her conscience.
Listen to the first of two cues from the film’s score, exclusive to Variety, below.
“The Lament” (featuring Renée Fleming)
“The Social Reckoning”
“The Social Reckoning” full track listing below.
- The Social Reckoning
- Tomorrow’s Headlines
- F***
- Jeff
- Online
- Unplug
- MSI
- Celiac
- Published
- Frances Goes Home
- Psych Damage
- Likes
- Sleepless
- Chaos
- Waiting Room
- The Lament (featuring Renee Fleming)
- 72 Hours
