SNL Movie: Everything You Need To Know
A movie about Saturday Night Live is coming out this fall. Little was known about the project for some time, but now, more and more details are being released seemingly every week. So far, here is what we know about the SNL movie, which is aptly titled Saturday Night.
What’s the Plot?
Per IMDb, the plot of Saturday Night centers around the behind-the-scenes action of the very first episode. The synopsis reads, “At 11:30 pm on October 11th, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. Find out what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.”
Who’s in the Cast?
The cast of Saturday Night is a mix of up-and-coming actors and some very familiar faces. Among the familiar faces is Willem Dafoe, who plays NBC Vice President of Talent Relations David Tebet. J.K. Simmons is also in the film playing iconic television star Milton Berle. Lamorne Morris, who’s best known for playing Winston Bishop on New Girl, will portray Garrett Morris.
In addition to Morris, other actors portraying the “Not Ready for Primetime Players” include Dylan O’Brien (Dan Aykroyd), Ella Hunt (Gilda Radner), Emily Fairn (Laraine Newman), Kim Matula (Jane Curtin), Cory Michael Smith (Chevy Chase) and Matt Wood (John Belushi).
Naturally, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels serves as a producer on the film and will be played by Gabriel LaVelle in Saturday Night.
Who’s Directing the Film?
Director Jason Reitman is helming Saturday Night. The son of late director Ivan Reitman, Jason has quite the resume of his own. He’s previously directed 2007’s Juno, 2009’s Up in the Air, 2018’s Tully and 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife.
The movie began filming on March 11 and was then known as SNL 1975. Jason marked the occasion via Instagram with the photo below and the caption, “Day 1 – SNL 1975. The story of opening night.”
On May 8, Jason shared a moving post about the making of the film. He wrote, “I just spent four months with the most passionate, talented, and kind filmmakers. It’s not lost on me that I have no idea how to do any of your jobs. It is simply the result of your collective generosity that I’m allowed to do something as selfish as take a story from my heart and commit it to film.”
Jason added, “Thank you for your sacrifices, thank you for celebrating your birthdays with me, and most of all, thank you for making me appear to be a better director than I actually am. I am so proud to be a member of the crew of SNL1975. May all your days be llama days.”
When is Saturday Night Coming Out?
The film is set for release this year on October 11, which happens to be the 49th anniversary of the iconic sketch comedy series’ first episode. As of publishing, no previews of any kind have been released to the public. IMDb lists the list Saturday Night in post-production.