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.
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 Marty, the musical director Craig Bierko as Steve Danny Burstein Susan Blommaert as Sybil Stephen Adly Guirgis as Tenant Jonah Diamand as Matty, Mona's son Becca Suskauer as Maya Danny McCarthy as male testimonial Ana Yi Puig as an auditioning woman Christopher Fitzgerald as Grocery Man Andy Grotelueschen as Motel Man Nikka Graff Lanzarone as Dog Woman
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. 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.hollywoodreporter.com Julianne Moore Zurich Festivalaccessed 09/26/2026 The film will close 2026 BFI London Film Festival on October 18. The film will be the centerpiece of the 2026 Savannah Film Festival, where Julianne Moore will be presented with the Icon Award. wjcl.com Julianne MOore to Receive Icon Awardaccessed 09/29/2026 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 90% based on 51 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 19 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".
Accolades AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result San Sebastián International Film Festival 26 September 2026 Feroz Zinemaldia Award The Debut Savannah Film Festival31 October 2026Icon AwardJulianne Moore Zurich Film Festival25 September 2026Golden Icon Award
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