A24’s New Film 'The Debut' Official Trailer

A24 has released the official trailer for The Debut, a comedy written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. Julianne Moore stars as Mona Friedman, a meek housewife cast in a New Jersey community theater pr

A24 has released the official trailer for 'The Debut', a new comedy written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. The protagonist, Mona Friedman, played by Julianne Moore, is a timid housewife who unexpectedly wins a role in an original musical at a local community theater and becomes immersed in the new world of the stage. The trailer previews her transformation with the tagline, "One small role. One big obsession.(작은 배역 하나, 거대한 집착 하나)".

In the trailer, Paul Giamatti plays an imposing director who introduces his character as "essentially the biggest name in New Jersey community theater." Under his ruthless perfectionism, Mona gradually becomes immersed in her role from rehearsals through opening night, transforming into an ardent method actor who refuses to back down even over a tiny part.

In addition to the two leads, the cast includes Halle Bailey, Cara Buono, Craig Bierko, and Eldar Isgandarov, with Eisenberg himself also appearing. Fittingly for a film about the stage, Broadway legend Bernadette Peters has also joined the cast.

'The Debut' is Eisenberg’s follow-up directorial project after he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for 2024’s 'A Real Pain'. Fruit Tree, the production company founded by Emma Stone, Dave McCary, and Ali Herting, is producing alongside Eisenberg, with Topic Studios also involved. Eisenberg said that he reused music from a musical he wrote himself 15 years ago but never got staged for the film, and explained that although it is set in a community theater, it is not strictly a musical film.

The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), followed by a North American theatrical release from A24 on December 11, 2026, with an expansion planned for the Christmas season.