{"id":112338,"date":"2026-01-26T00:21:22","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T00:21:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112338\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T00:21:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T00:21:22","slug":"premieres-of-the-musical-union-county","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/112338\/","title":{"rendered":"Premieres of \u2018The Musical’ & ‘Union County’"},"content":{"rendered":"

The momentum of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival continues into Day 4, featuring a lineup that swings from the darkly comedic halls of a middle school to the gritty reality of rural Ohio, concluding with a star-studded chase through the streets of Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Director Giselle Bonilla makes her feature debut with a darkly funny and delightfully twisted ode to the power of spite, The Musical. Supported by Rob Lowe and Gillian Jacobs, this biting satire of public school performance culture, Will Brill stars as Doug Leibowitz, a frustrated playwright and teacher who spirals into a dastardly antihero after learning his ex-girlfriend is dating the school\u2019s principal.<\/p>\n

The film follows Doug\u2019s unhinged mission to sabotage the principal\u2019s academic standing, utilizing an eager middle school theater troupe as his pawns.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Deadline Studio at Sundance Film Festival 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended the premiere of the documentary they executive-produced. Directed by Alysa Nahmias, follows four Girl Scouts\u2014Ara, Olive, Nikki, and Shannon Elizabeth\u2014as they navigate the $800 million cookie industry. Beyond the Cookie Queen titles, the documentary captured the girls\u2019 sharp business instincts and the significant family sacrifices made to reach their goals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Shifting to the U.S. Dramatic Competition, director Adam Meeks returns to his Ohio roots with Union County. The film offers a grounded, intimate look at the opioid epidemic through the eyes of Cody Parsons (Will Poulter), who embarks on a tenuous journey toward recovery via a county-mandated drug court program. Meeks cast local non-actors alongside leads Poulter and Noah Centineo<\/p>\n

RELATED: Sundance Film Festival 2026: All Of Deadline\u2019s Movie Reviews<\/a><\/p>\n

Rounding out the day later is the comedy from Sundance veteran David Wain. In this fifth festival appearance for the director, Zoey Deutch stars as Gail Daughtry, a Midwestern bride-to-be who decides to cash in on her celebrity hall pass after her fianc\u00e9 does the same.<\/p>\n

What follows is an epic Los Angeles caper as Gail and her best friend Otto search for her celebrity crush, Jon Hamm. The narrative reaches peak absurdity when a pair of hapless mob enforcers mistake them for couriers of secret documents.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Other notable premieres today include Shame and Money; The Musical; Knife: The Attempted Murder of Salman Rushdie; Jaripeo; Once Upon A Time In Harlem; Frank & Louis; Tell Me Everything; BURN; and Rock Springs.<\/p>\n

The 2026\u00a0 Sundance Film Festival will take place from January 22 to February 1, 2026, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, with the jury and audience awards to be presented on January 30 at The Ray Theatre.<\/p>\n

Whether you\u2019re a seasoned film fanatic or curious to discover new talent, check back for daily updates from the festival.<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cUnion Country\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Will Poulter, Annette Deao and Adam Meeks attend the \u201cUnion Country\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Gillian Jacobs, Alex Heller, Giselle Bonilla, Rob Lowe and Will Brill attend \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Gillian Jacobs and Will Brill attend \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Will Brill, Gillian Jacobs and Rob Lowe attend \u201cThe Musical\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cJaripeo\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) No\u00e9 Margarito Zaragoza, Efra\u00edn Mojica, and Rebecca Zweig attend the \u201cJaripeo\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Yarrow Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cKnife: The Attempted Murder Of Salman Rushdie\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Richard Perello, Jonas Bender-Nash, Sruthi Pinnamaneni, Erin Edeiken, Alex Gibney, Will Bates, Nancy Hoang, Andy Grieve, Mahak Jiwani and Daniel Bellone attend \u201cKnife: The Attempted Murder Of Salman Rushdie\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cAll About The Money\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Sigrid Dyekj\u00e6r, Enda O\u2019Dowd, Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Shea, Katie Holly and Claire McCabe attend the \u201cAll About The Money\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

(L-R) Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Alysa Nahmias and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Andrea van Buren, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Nala, Chanel Pysnik, Nyah, Sheri Sobrato, Jennfier Pelling, Ana Lewnes, Alysa Nahmias, Michael Dweck, Olive, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Gregory Kershaw, Nikki, James Costa and Nathalie Seaver attend the \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"\"\"
\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Michael Dweck, Alysa Nahmias, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Gregory Kershaw pose with the cast and crew at the \u201cCookie Queens\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Eccles Center Theater on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cSoul Patrol\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Ed Emmanuel, J.M. Harper, and Nas attend the \u201cSoul Patrol\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cShame And Money\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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Astrit Kabashi, Visart Morina, Doruntina Basha, Fabien Altenreid, Flonja Kodheli and Kristof Gerega pose with cast and crew at the \u201cShame And Money\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at Library Center Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n

\t2026 Sundance Film Festival \u2013 \u201cKikuyu Land\u201d Premiere<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Getty Images\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Stephanie Owens, Joseph Njenga, N\u2019ganga Mungai, Moses Bwayo, Bea Wangondu, Andrew H. Brown, Mike Morrisroe, Tracy Rector and Nyokabi Kariuki attend the \u201cKikuyu Land\u201d Premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Yarrow Theatre on January 25, 2026 in Park City, Utah<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The momentum of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival continues into Day 4, featuring a lineup that swings from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112339,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123,49968,35325,50127,40028],"class_list":{"0":"post-112338","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-new-york","9":"tag-new-york-city","10":"tag-nyc","11":"tag-queens","12":"tag-queens-headlines","13":"tag-queens-news","14":"tag-sundance","15":"tag-sundance-film-festival","16":"tag-the-musical","17":"tag-union-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112338\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}