‘The Social Network’ Secret Weapon Josh Pence Joins Aaron Sorkin’s ‘More As This Story Develops’

Broadway Stars John Gallagher Jr and Thomas Sadoski Also On Board For HBO Pilot

On the special features of the DVD for “The Social Network,” actor Josh Pence admits that he was devastated when he discovered that he’d been cast in a major role in a new David Fincher film, but that his face and voice would never be heard on screen. Pence provided the body of Tyler Winklevoss, but co-star Armie Hammer‘s face was digitally inserted on the body, to maintain the illusion of identical twin-dom. But the graciousness of Hammer and Fincher on the publicity circuit ensured that Pence’s name got out there, and he hasn’t done too badly off it, landing supporting roles in two of next summer’s biggest movies: as Chief Moore in Peter Berg‘s “Battleship,” and as the younger version of Liam Neeson‘s character Ra’s Al Ghul in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

And it seems that he certainly impressed one of the major players on “The Social Network,” writer Aaron Sorkin, as Deadline reports that Pence has joined the cast of Sorkin’s latest project, the HBO pilot “More As This Story Develops.” In addition, two acclaimed Broadway actors, John Gallagher Jr, who’s toplined hits like “Spring Awakening,” “American Idiot” and, currently, the astounding “Jerusalem,” as well as taking film roles in things like “Whatever Works” and “Jonah Hex,” and Thomas Sadoski, who picked up a Tony nomination for his turn in Neil LaBute‘s “reasons to be pretty,” have also signed on.

The show, which revolves around the behind-the-scenes dramas at a cable news network, already has an impressive cast, with Jeff Daniels as anchor Will McCallister, Emily Mortimer as his ex-lover, and new executive producer, Mackenzie MacHale, Sam Masterson as network president Charlie Skinner, Allison Pill as youthful, brilliant producer Maggie, and Olivia Munn as Sloan, a financial reporter. Pence will play Maggie’s vaguely dickish boyfriend, and fellow producer Steve, making up two points of a love triangle completed by Gallagher Jr’s Jim Harper, Mackenzie’s protege who joins her as a new addition to the show. Sadoski, meanwhile, will play Don, McCallister’s former executive producer — the only part cast so far that seems to be a guest appearance, rather than a potential regular.

The major cast are pretty much in place now, the script is unsurprisingly terrific, and “Adventureland” and “Superbad” director Greg Mottola is helming the pilot, so everything is lining up pretty nicely. Filming presumably gets underway shortly and, unless there’s an unprecedented disaster, we should see it go to series on HBO some time in 2012.