Columbia Pictures started the marketing machine late last week for
David Finchers biopic,
The Social Network, releasing the first one-sheet for the Oct. 1st release. Based on Ben Mezrichs book
, The Accidental Billionaire: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal,Aaron Sorkins screenplay centers on the controversial conception of the online social network.
Jesse Eisenberg (
Adventureland, Zombieland) stars as Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Andrew Garfield as the other co-founder Eduardo Saverin who was betrayed by Zuckerberg.
Justin Timberlake is internet entrepreneur Sean Parker who created Napster and had a big helping hand in the forming of Facebook.
The Social Network is a biopic, but one without an inspiring or heroic central character. It will take a look at the life of Zuckerberg, including the lawsuit by his partners against him and claims that the origins of Facebook were stolen from the dormitory at Harvard. After the ambitious
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, the drama is yet another risky project for Fincher. Making a film with an distasteful protagonist is a challenge only a director like Fincher should be able to manage. After all, this is the man that made
Zodiac. If he can make a serial killer film based on a case which remains unsolved, leaving the audience with no answers after a near 3 hour police/journalism procedural, I can imagine that Fincher will handle The Social Network just fine. This despite the awkward first one-sheet that screams "pick me for the Criterion Collection, pick me!!". The poster is obviously meant to resemble an internet browser, with an address browser bar on the right side of the poster. This is an interesting concept, but it is contrasting the other things happening in the poster. The rest is a simple picture of Eisenbergs face; what I am assuming is meant to resemble a profile photo. The only problem is that there is writing over his face. It just seems like there are too many ideas conflicting in this seemingly simple design, making it just seem lazy.