Jesse Eisenberg's third feature as director, The Debut, arrives in select U.S. theaters on December 11, 2026. A24 released the film's second trailer on November 10, offering the clearest look yet at Eisenberg's community theater comedy.
The film follows Mona Friedman, a soft-spoken housewife played by Julianne Moore, who lands a minor role in an original musical at her local community theater. What begins as a quiet ambition escalates. She becomes a fiercely committed method actor, convinced the production depends on her performance, and finds herself in direct conflict with the show's domineering director, played by Paul Giamatti. The ensemble also includes Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy, and Bernadette Peters.
Produced by Ali Herting, Dave McCary, and Emma Stone for Topic Studios and Fruit Tree, the film follows Eisenberg's When You Finish Saving the World and A Real Pain, both of which earned him Oscar nominations. The Debut premiered at Telluride, then TIFF and NYFF, to a reception that places it in the year-end conversation.
Moore leads a cast anchored in texture. Giamatti, playing the controlling director, is a counterweight the film apparently needs. The question going into December is whether The Debut expands beyond its platform run.