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A24 has unveiled a second trailer for The Debut, Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy about a timid New Jersey housewife who becomes a ferocious method actor over a two-word role in a community theater show. Julianne Moore stars opposite Paul Giamatti, and the film opens in select U.S. theaters on December 11, with a wider expansion on Christmas Day, according to Slant Magazine.
It’s Eisenberg’s first film as director since A Real Pain, which won Kieran Culkin the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, so awards watchers are paying close attention.
Watch The Debut trailer 2
The 88-second spot is built around one tiny line. Moore’s character, Mona, is cast as a building superintendent in a local original musical called Nosy Neighbor, and her entire part is “Rent’s due.” The trailer plays that setup for big laughs, with Giamatti’s director drilling her on the delivery while Mona treats it like Shakespeare.
What is The Debut about?
A24’s official logline sets it up simply: when Mona Friedman is cast in a bit part at a small community theater, she transforms from a shy, unassuming housewife into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her role, even if that means war with the show’s domineering director.
Dark Horizons notes the film has been described as “Whiplash in the community theater world,” which neatly captures the tone: a comedy about obsession, ego and the strange intensity of amateur art. Eisenberg wrote the screenplay and also wrote the film’s original music and lyrics.
The Debut cast
- Julianne Moore as Mona Friedman
- Paul Giamatti as the show’s director
- Halle Bailey as a cast member who gives Mona advice
- Jesse Eisenberg as a fellow actor in the troupe
- Bernadette Peters
- Colton Ryan, Havana Rose Liu, Cara Buono, Craig Bierko and Eldar Isgandarov
Emma Stone and Dave McCary produced through their Fruit Tree banner alongside Topic Studios. Moore and Eisenberg have worked together before: she starred in his directorial debut, When You Finish Saving the World, also produced by Fruit Tree.
Reviews and awards buzz
The Debut premiered on the fall festival circuit, including Telluride, TIFF and NYFF, and Dark Horizons reports it holds a 76 on Metacritic. Much of the praise has centered on Moore’s comic performance, and the new trailer quotes Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson saying Moore and Giamatti “blow the roof off of the theater.” The film is rated R.
The Debut release date
- Limited release (U.S.): December 11, 2026
- Wider expansion: December 25, 2026
- Distributor: A24
That puts it in direct awards-season competition with Netflix’s Ink, which opens the same day, and in the same holiday corridor as Avengers: Doomsday.
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Sources: A24, A24 on YouTube, Slant Magazine, Dark Horizons, Awards Radar