Jesse Eisenberg Will Write and Direct New A24 Musical Comedy
Fresh off the success of A Real Pain, actor-turned-filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg is teaming up with A24 to create a brand new musical comedy starring Paul Giamatti and Julianne Moore.
This untitled musical will feature Moore as an exceptionally shy woman whose world is turned upside down when she is cast as a lead in a local community theater musical production. Under the director’s (Giamatti) influence, she begins to lose herself in the role.
Emma Stone and Dave McCary have also signed on to produce through their film company, Fruit Tree, making this will be their third project with Eisenberg. Previously, they worked together on his directorial debut When You Finish Saving the World (2022), which A24 also distributed.
Recently, Fruit Tree also produced Eisenberg’s latest feature, A Real Pain. This won him the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and costar Kieran Culkin Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards.
The previously announced cast includes voice actor Maulik Pancholy, Bonnie Mulligan, Colton Ryan (Dear Evan Hansen), and Lili Cooper (Hazbin Hotel). Now, the film has cast Halle Bailey (The Little Mermaid), Havana Rose Liu (Bottoms), and Tony Award-winning performer Bernadette Peters.
Halle really recording original music for this movie. Thank you Jesse Eisenberg. pic.twitter.com/FAw5rPDilL
— asa. (@_saezen_) April 15, 2025
This will be Mulligan and Cooper’s film debut, but they have more experience on the Broadway stage than the silver screen. Cooper, Jonathan Groff, Lea Michelle, and John Gallagher Jr. were in the original Broadway cast of Spring Awakening. In addition, she was in SpongeBob Squarepants: The Broadway Musical and Tootsie.
Jesse Eisenberg's follow-up after A REAL PAIN is
— Phantom (@effoff1988) April 15, 2025
– a musical comedy
– headlined by Julianne Moore
– also starring Paul Giamatti
– AND Bernadette Peters
– AND Halle Bailey
– AND Havana Rose Liu ?
I want this ready for Telluride/TIFF 2025.
What can I say, I am impatient af. https://t.co/8aajOaeQIj pic.twitter.com/pPLzDrzTDF
Much like his past films, Eisenberg will write and direct this musical comedy and contribute to its score. This is surprising, really, considering his very limited musical experience only includes a charity musical written in—quite literally—24 hours.
Steven Gizicki, whose works include A Complete Unknown and La La Land, will serve as music supervisor. Composer Bill Sherman, who worked on both stage and film productions of In the Heights, will be the film’s executive music producer. Moreover, the creative team includes choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler (Hamilton) and cinematographer (Anora).
Eisenberg’s unnamed musical has already began production but a release date has not been announced.
In the meantime, watch Eisenberg’s A Real Pain on Hulu.
Writer | Tweet me @jamiem_torres
