The Debut is a 2026 American musical comedy film written, co-produced and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. It stars Julianne Moore as Mona Friedman, a New Jersey housewife who auditions for a part in a fictional musical run by a strong-willed and enigmatic director (Paul Giamatti). It also stars Halle Bailey, Colton Ryan, Eisenberg, Bonnie Milligan, and Lilli Cooper, in supporting roles.
The film premiered at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 5, and will be theatrically released in the United States by A24 on December 11.
Contents
Premise
A shy New Jersey housewife auditions for a part in the Brook Arts Center production of the fictional musical Nosy Neighbors and is cast in the supporting role of Miss Danielle. Under the spell of the "strong-willed" and "enigmatic" director Jerry, her life begins to unravel as she slowly becomes more and more consumed with playing the part.
Cast
Julianne Moore as Mona Friedman, a shy housewife in New Jersey who auditions for Nosy Neighbors
Paul Giamatti as Jerry Blankenbuehler, the director of the musical
Halle Bailey as Stef Mercer, an actress in the musical
Colton Ryan as Zachary Feldman, an actor in the musical
Jesse Eisenberg as Todd Brennan, an actor in the musical
Bonnie Milligan as Trish Donnelly, an actress in the musical
Lilli Cooper as Shauna McCarthy
Maulik Pancholy as Eli Kaplan, a priest
Bernadette Peters as Serena Cherry, a well-known theatre actress
Cara Buono as Cassie
Havana Rose Liu as Twisty
Eldar Isgandarov as Piotr, Jerry's assistant director
Patrick Fabian as Howard, Mona's husband
K. Todd Freeman as Martin Reed, the musical director
Craig Bierko as Steve
Danny Burstein as a Patron
Susan Blommaert as Sybil Hart
Stephen Adly Guirgis as Tenant
Jonah Diamand as Matty, Mona's son
Production
Deadline Hollywood announced in November 2024 that Jesse Eisenberg would be directing and writing a musical comedy, with Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti starring; the project marks the second collaboration between Eisenberg and Moore following 2022's When You Finish Saving the World. In April 2025, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Bernadette Peters, Bonnie Milligan, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper and Maulik Pancholy joined the cast, with A24 boarding as distributor, and principal photography commencing. Emma Stone, Dave McCary, Ali Herting of Fruit Tree produced, alongside Eisenberg. Topic Studios executive produced. In June 2026, the title was revealed as The Debut.
Musical numbers
The musical within the film includes 13 original songs written by Eisenberg.
"The Boy from 26A / Girl in 4F" – Girl in 4F (Halle Bailey), Boy from 26A (Colton Ryan), Ensemble
"Needle in a Haystack" – Young Mom with Stroller (Bonnie Milligan), Girl in 4F (Bailey)
"Aren't We Still Strangers?" – Woman with Shoes (Lilli Cooper), Barnaby (Jesse Eisenberg)
"All Backed Up" – Barnaby (Eisenberg)
"Where's My Shoe?" – Woman with Shoes (Cooper)
"The Opposite of Up" – The Ghost of Fiorello La Guardia (Maulik Pancholy)
"Another Bill (Ugh!)" – City Councilwoman (Megumi Nakamura)
"Count Your Blessings (By Counting By Fives)" – Young Mom with Stroller (Milligan), Boy from 26A (Ryan)
"Right Place, Right Time" – Girl in 4F (Bailey)
"Another Bill (Ugh!)" (reprise) – City Councilwoman (Megumi Nakamura), Company
"Blackout" – Grumpy Tennant (Jared Loftin), Company
"This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But It Hasn't Spit Me Out)" – Miss Danielle (Julianne Moore)
"One Bedroom, Two Hearts" – Company
Release
The film had its world premiere at the 53rd Telluride Film Festival on September 5, 2026. It was also selected for the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, the main competition of the 74th San Sebastián International Film Festival, and the Spotlight Gala section of the 2026 New York Film Festival.The film was screened at the 2026 Zurich Film Festival, where Julianne Moore was presented with the Golden Icon Award. The film will close 2026 BFI London Film Festival on October 18, and will be the centerpiece of the 2026 Savannah Film Festival, where Julianne Moore will be presented with the Icon Award on October 27. It was shown to a sold-out crowd on October 21 at the Paramount Theater as the opening movie of the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia. It will also screen at the 15th Montclair Film Festival on October 24. It will be presented in the Grand public section of the 21st Rome Film Festival in October 2026.
The Debut is scheduled to be released in the United States on December 11, 2026, by A24. It will be theatrically released in the United Kingdom on January 15, 2027, by Lionsgate.
Reception
Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 91% based on 67 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Wryly teasing the self-seriousness of community theater while still recognizing the transformative power of the stage, The Debut is an acerbic gem from Jesse Eisenberg, enlivened by Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti at the peak of their powers." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Matthew Joseph Jenner of International Cinephile Society rated The Debut 4½ out of 5 stars, declaring it "a terrific film that knows exactly what it takes to keep the audience invested".
