Aaron Sorkin Was Offered Dumb Money First. He Passed.

By The Backlot

@backlotfriends

Two hedge fund managers in tennis attire talk by a pool in Dumb Money (2023)

The people who made Dumb Money were hired with one condition: Aaron Sorkin had to pass first.

Sorkin wrote The Social Network, which was also adapted from a Ben Mezrich book. When producers brought Dumb Money to MGM, they approached Sorkin first. The screenwriters who got the job, Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo, confirmed it later: 'We found ourselves in the lucky position of being kind of a second choice to him.'

The working title was The Antisocial Network.

Paul Dano played Keith Gill without once contacting him. Gill had been subpoenaed by Congress and gone quiet. Dano watched hundreds of hours of Roaring Kitty YouTube videos and chose not to knock on his door. The whole film was shot in 31 days.

Someone on Backlot just watched it. It moves fast.

Quick Facts

Aaron Sorkin Was Offered Dumb Money First. He Passed.

DirectorCraig Gillespie

CastPaul Dano, Shailene Woodley, America Ferrera, Pete Davidson, Seth Rogen

GenreHistory, Comedy, Drama

Release2023-09-15

Runtime105 min

Rated6.7/10

Instagram caption

Dumb Money was offered to Aaron Sorkin first. He wrote The Social Network from the same author. He passed, and that's how the film we got was made. #DumbMoney #Backlot

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Dumb Money was offered to Aaron Sorkin first. He wrote The Social Network, also adapted from a Ben Mezrich book. He passed. That's how the actual writers got the job.

The people who made Dumb Money were hired with one condition: Aaron Sorkin had to pass first.

The working title was The Antisocial Network.

Someone on Backlot just watched it. It moves fast.