The first trailer for The Debut dropped on June 23, 2026, giving audiences their first look at Jesse Eisenberg's third feature as director. A24 will distribute the film, with a fall 2026 release targeted.
Julianne Moore leads the cast as Mona Friedman, a shy New Jersey housewife who lands a small role in a local community theater production and becomes consumed by it. Paul Giamatti plays Jerry, the production's domineering director, whom a character in the trailer describes as "basically the biggest name in New Jersey community theater; he's brilliant, but not here to be your friend." The ensemble also includes Halle Bailey, Cara Buono, Craig Bierko, Bernadette Peters, and Eisenberg himself in a supporting role.
The screenplay is Eisenberg's own. According to IndieWire, the project grew from his stage play Happy Talk, which starred Susan Sarandon, and incorporates music from a musical he wrote more than fifteen years ago that went unproduced. The film is rated R.
Fruit Tree, the production company founded by Emma Stone and Dave McCary, produced alongside Eisenberg and Topic Studios. The Debut is Eisenberg's follow-up to A Real Pain, the 2024 two-hander that brought Kieran Culkin a supporting actor Oscar. Eisenberg previously directed When You Finish Saving the World, also for A24, in 2022.