“Saturday Night“, previously titled SNL 1975, is the upcoming biographical film that will tell one of the most interesting but not so well-known stories today: the origin of the iconic comedy program, which continues to be relevant.
Four-time Oscar nominee Jason Reitman (Up in the Air, Juno, and Labor Day) will be directing and co-writing the screenplay alongside Gil Kenan (Monster House, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and Poltergeist).
The first episode of Saturday Night Live aired on October 11, 1975 and since then, it has never stopped succeeding greatly, all thanks to a group of young comedians and writers, including Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase.
What is SNL 1975 about?
SNL 1975 will narrate the origin of the iconic television program, along with the chaotic backstage story of the premiere night of the long-running comedy sketch series. On October 11, a group of young comedians changed television forever.
Among the young ones were Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Larraine Newman and Michael O’Donoghue. Each of them was responsible for bursting onto the scene, changing American television forever.
The official synopsis reads: “On October 11, 1975, a group of young comedians changed television forever. Follow the behind-the-scenes story in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of SNL”.
Willem Dafoe and all SNL 1975 cast stars
The production and casting team spared no expense when it came to choosing the actors to bring each of the characters to life. The cast will not only be packed with stars but also with some of the most important figures in the industry.
Willem Dafoe will lead the plot as David Tebet, while J.K. Simmons will accompany him as Milton Berle, Dylan O’Brien as Dan Aykroyd and Kaia Gerber as Jacqueline Carlin.
Rachel Sennot, Cooper Hoffman and Gabriel LaBelle were some of the latest additions, portraying important characters in the story. LaBelle will bring to life the creator and executive producer of SNL, Lorne Michaels.
Meanwhile, Sennot and Hoffman will embody the former show writer Rosie Shuster and the former executive producer, Dick Ebersol. The list contains more incredibly talented names…
Here, check out who else is there, along with their respective roles:
- Finn Wolfhard as Playing an NBC page
- Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson
- Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris
- Andrew Barth Feldman as Neil Levy
- Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase
- Kim Matula as Jane Curtin
- Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner
- Cooper Hoffman as Dick Ebersol
- Joe Chrest as Herb Sargent
- Tommy Dewey as Michael O’Donoghue
- Matt Wood as John Belushi
- Emily Fairn as Laraine Newman
When will SNL 1975 be released?
The biographical film, which will contain tons of comedy, drama and chaos, already has a release date. Production wrapped a few months ago, and it has been confirmed that it will hit the big screen on October 11, 2024.
It is still too early to know when its streaming debut is scheduled, but it is estimated that “Saturday Night” will arrive on the Peacock platform, as the actual seasons of SNL are also available there.