Word is out that Columbia Pictures is entering “advanced talks” with David Fincher (”Se7en,” “Fight Club,” “Zodiac”) to direct a film revolving around the birth of Facebook, the immensely popular online social network created in 2004 by computer whiz turned-entrepreneur Mark Zuckerberg.

Aaron Sorkin (”The West Wing”) is working on a script based on Ben Mezrich’s yet-to-be released book “The Accidental Billionaires,” which allegedly depicts the scandalous origins behind Zuckerberg’s Internet empire. Shia LaBeouf and Michael Cera have been tagged as strong candidates for the role of Zuckerberg, who left Harvard after Facebook’s meteoric rise and vaulted to the Forbes 400 last year as the world’s youngest billionaire.

Tentatively titled “The Social Network,” the film—set to begin production later this year—would imply a significant change in subject for Fincher (”The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”), whose success as a filmmaker is often attributed to his ability to handle a diverse array of film genres and narrative tropes. Should be interesting; stay tuned for further developments.

Image Source: Reuters