Two years after A Real Pain earned Oscar nominations and a BAFTA win, Jesse Eisenberg returns to festival season with his second feature as director. The Debut is a musical comedy starring Julianne Moore as Mona Friedman, a shy woman who lands a role in a local theatrical production and finds herself under the influence of its demanding director, played by Paul Giamatti. Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, and Bernadette Peters round out the ensemble.
Emma Stone and Dave McCary co-produce through their company Fruit Tree alongside Topic Studios. The score is by Emile Mosseri, with original songs written by Eisenberg. Cinematography is by Drew Daniels, and the film runs 105 minutes.
The Debut world premieres at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 13, 2026. It will then compete at the San Sebastián International Film Festival before closing the 70th BFI London Film Festival on October 18. A24 releases it theatrically in the United States on December 11. Lionsgate holds UK distribution rights, with a January 2027 release date.
The circuit maps closely to what a major A24 awards push looks like: a Toronto launch, European festival momentum, and a December release. The BFI closing slot carries specific weight. Recent occupants have included films that moved directly into awards contention from that position.
For Eisenberg, the scale here is different from A Real Pain, which was tightly observed and built around two performances. The Debut has a larger ensemble, original music, and is produced by one of the industry's most closely watched creative partnerships. The expectations are no longer understated.
