The Debut

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 will close 2026 BFI London Film Festival on October 18.

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

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".