Jesse Eisenberg Details Upcoming TV Show as The Debut Closes London Film Festival

Jesse Eisenberg and Julianne Moore united at the BFI London Film Festival to close the event with their musical-comedy feature, *The Debut*. The screening marked another stop on the festival circuit for the film, which was warmly received by the London audience with ample laughter and raucous applause during its presentation.

The film's director and lead actress personally introduced the feature up on stage ahead of the screening. However, co-star Paul Giamatti was unable to attend the London event because he has COVID. *The Debut* casts Moore as Mona, a neglected housewife who gets cast in a community theater production directed by Giamatti’s character, Jerry.

Ahead of the screening, Eisenberg and Moore expressed deep admiration for one another. Eisenberg stated on the red carpet that he loves the project more than anything he has ever made, highlighting its combination of music, absurdism, heart, and depressed people in funny situations. Moore reciprocated the praise, noting that she would have done anything Eisenberg sent her way following their previous collaboration on When You Finish Saving the World. Calling him a special writer and extraordinary director, Moore revealed that the script was one of the best she had ever read in her life and felt fortunate to be cast.

In addition to discussing his feature film, Eisenberg used an appearance at a Screen Talk during the festival to share details about his next creative endeavor. The filmmaker disclosed that he is currently working on an upcoming television series. According to Eisenberg, he wrote the show for A24 and former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice. The narrative centers on an 18-year-old girl in the fall of 2002 and touches upon the early beginnings of modern culture wars, though he joked about whether viewers would find it pretentious.

Reflecting on the demands of taking a movie through the festival circuit and subsequent awards campaigns, Eisenberg admitted to finding the process stressful at times. He shared a perspective offered by his father, who reminded him that earning a seat inside an awards room places someone among a tiny fraction of people working in the arts, helping him reframe any initial feelings of apprehension about public appearances.

*The Debut* wrapped up its latest major festival appearance at the BFI London Film Festival, which had opened earlier with the European premiere of Andrew Scott’s Elsinore. As the musical-comedy concludes its current festival run, Eisenberg's focus shifts toward the development of his newly detailed television project.