UPDATE: A24 has set December 11, 2026 release date for “The Debut” — it will then hit theaters nationwide on Christmas Day. Based on what I’ve been hearing—both internally and externally, including early test reactions—this could be the film that finally earns Paul Giamatti the acting Oscar he’s long deserved.
EARLIER: As promised on Monday, here’s A24’s trailer for “The Debut,” which stars Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy, and Bernadette Peters. It looks like a potential winner.
This is Jesse Eisenberg’s third feature as a director, following “When You Finish Saving the World” and “A Real Pain.” The film was tentatively titled “No One Cares” during production. Eisenberg also wrote the script.
Moore plays a shy, anxious housewife who is mistakenly cast in a local community theater production, only to fall under the spell of a curmudgeonly director played by Paul Giamatti.
“I haven’t sung in front of anyone since church choir,” Moore’s Mona says in the trailer. Giamatti’s Jerry is described as “the biggest name in New Jersey community theater; he’s brilliant, but not here to be your friend.” He pushes Mona to deliver the great performance he believes she has in her.
In a test-screening reaction I posted in May, one attendee described the film as a “weird, dark, very funny spiral about acting, delusion, and community theater freaks.” Contrary to rumors, it’s not really a “musical,” but rather a comedy about making one.
Eisenberg has a small role as one of the actors, Drew Daniels served as cinematographer, and Emil Mosseri composed the score.
A24 has not yet dated “The Debut,” but it seems likely to premiere at the fall festival circuit, either at Telluride, TIFF, or both. Eisenberg is coming off the acclaim of his sophomore directorial effort, “A Real Pain,” which earned Kieran Culkin the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Does A24 have Oscar hopes for “The Debut” as well?
“Spider-Man: Brand New” just became the fastest movie to cross $500M domestic ever, doing so in seven days and beating “Avengers: Endgame,” which did it in eight.