After 'A Real Pain', Jesse Eisenberg returns with third directorial 'The Debut', starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti

Writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy "The Debut" will officially host its UK premiere as the Closing Night Gala of the 70th BFI London Film Festival. The screening will take place on October 18, 2026, at the Southbank Centre's Royal Festival Hall.

The film, which marks Eisenberg's reunion with actress Julianne Moore after "When You Finish Saving the World" (2022), follows a woman, Mona Friedman (Julianne Moore), a shy housewife who lands a small role in an original community theatre musical. After quickly establishing herself as an intense method actor, things get heated when she runs into conflict with the play's domineering, strong-willed director, Jerry (Paul Giamatti).

Aside from Moore and Giamatti, the ensemble features Halle Bailey, Havana Rose Liu, Bernadette Peters, Colton Ryan, Lilli Cooper, Maulik Pancholy, and Bonnie Milligan. In addition to writing and directing, Jesse Eisenberg wrote the film's original songs. Emma Stone, Ali Herting, and Dave McCary are involved as producers.

The 70th BFI London Film Festival will commence on Wednesday, October 7 and end on Sunday, October 18, 2026. The festival will open with the European premiere of Elsinore, a Shakespearean drama starring Andrew Scott and Olivia Colman. "The Debut" recently had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September.

The full LFF program will be unveiled on September 2, 2026, with public ticket sales opening on September 17 via the BFI Website. For audiences unable to attend the festival, the film’s theatrical release will follow soon.

Distributed by A24, "The Debut" will get a limited release on December 11, 2026, followed by a wide release on Christmas Day. In the U.K., the film is distributed by Lionsgate and is scheduled to hit theatres on January 15, 2027.

Jesse Eisenberg made his directorial debut with the comedy-drama "When You Finish Saving the World" after building a highly successful, decades-long acting career, earning critical acclaim and a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg in David Fincher's "The Social Network" (2010). In 2024, he directed himself and Kieran Culkin in "A Real Pain", for which Culkin won the Best Actor Oscar (along with Golden Globes and BAFTA), and Eisenberg won the Best Original Screenplay BAFTA trophy.

Apart from “The Debut”, Moore and Giamatti have their own distinct slates of individual upcoming feature films. Moore will also be seen next in “The Joy of Sex,”  a North London-based biographical comedy-drama co-starring Laura Linney and Colin Firth. Other projects include: “Cry to Heaven”, an adaptation of the Anne Rice novel directed by Tom Ford, set in 18th-century Rome; an untitled high-concept Netflix comedy from Barack and Michelle Obama's production company; “Moonsong: A Life in Seven Verse”, a biographical feature tracking the life of legendary children's book author Margaret Wise Brown, co-starring Elle Fanning.

Giamatti also has “Boutique”, a psychological horror film produced by XYZ Films. Outside of feature films, Giamatti is also attached to major television projects, including the upcoming Paramount+ series “Star Trek: Starfleet Academy” and Eli Roth's series adaptation of “Hostel”, developed by streaming platform Peacock.