In its nearly five decades on the air, Saturday Night Live has seen some amazing casts, but the show's most memorable, iconic, and influential batch of performers remains its very first ensemble. Their work was historic, it makes you wish you could experience what took place backstage at Studio 8H all those years ago. Curious fans will receive that chance when Saturday Night comes out.
The Not Ready for Primetime Players (who made a huge impact on SNL in just five seasons, or less), executive producer Lorne Michaels, and others involved with the origins of the sketch comedy series — when it was still called NBC’s Saturday Night — are the subjects of this upcoming biopic from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman. In anticipation of the film, let’s take a look at all that we know about it so far. Not live and from wherever you are reading this right now, this is Saturday Night.
What Is The Saturday Night Release Date?
The first episode of Saturday Night Live aired on October 11, 1975. Jason Reitman's Saturday Night is hitting theaters on Friday, October 11, 2024, meaning the upcoming 2024 movie is releasing on the legendary series' 49th anniversary. What a perfect time to commemorate that historic event!
What Saturday Night is About
Indeed, it was nearly 50 years ago when we first heard the phrase, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” as said by SNL one-season wonder Chevy Chase in the sketch comedy series’ premiere episode. What happened backstage at Studio 8H that very night will serve as the basis of Saturday Night.
According to Deadline, the film — which is being distributed by Sony Pictures — will be a dramatization of that night, chronicling the moments leading up to the historic broadcast in real time. The script is based on first-hand testimonies of the events by surviving cast members, writers, and people who worked in the crew.
The Saturday Night Trailer Proves That Making SNL Was No Laughing Matter
We cannot even begin to imagine the pressure that Lorne Michaels and co. must have felt when they were preparing for the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live. However, the first Saturday Night trailer seems to do a pretty good job of putting us into that mindset. Watch the clip here:
On one hand, there is a lot to laugh at in this trailer — such as Cory Michael Green's unbelievable Chevy Chase impression or announcer Don Pardo's struggle to pronounce Dan Aykroyd's name. On an even bigger hand, there is plenty to get your heart racing — such as Lorne Michaels' heated discussion with Dick Ebersol, David Tebet's discouraging speech about the production's laundry list of issues, and, finally, a rig of set lights crashing just a few feet from the cast on stage. Overall, for a movie about the making of a comedy show, it looks like a real thriller of a time.
The Saturday Night Cast: Who’s Playing Who In The Saturday Night Live Biopic
For many die-hard fans, the original Saturday Night Live cast is simply irreplaceable. However, Sony has managed to put together an ensemble of actors who have both the looks and the talent to make the comedy legends they are portraying proud. See for yourself by taking a look at who is playing who in the Saturday Night cast:
Lamorne Morris (Garrett Morris)
Emmy nominee (for FX's Fargo Season 5) Lamorne Morris is portraying Garrett Morris in Saturday Night. There is no actual blood relation between the former New Girl cast member and SNL’s first Black regular performer, but their shared last name did inspire Garrett to joke that he was not entirely convinced he was not his father.
Dylan O’Brien (Dan Aykroyd)
As Dan Aykroyd — one half of the Blues Brothers and the star and creator of hilarious SNL sketches like “Super Bass-O-Matic ’76” — we have Dylan O’Brien. While he is best known from MTV’s Teen Wolf cast and the Maze Runner movies, the actor also does have previous experience portraying real-life people — namely oil rig worker Caleb Holloway in Deepwater Horizon.
Ella Hunt (Gilda Radner)
Gilda Radner — famous for such characters as the hard-of-hearing Emily Litella and the obnoxious over-sharer Rosanne Roseannadanna — will be played English actor and musician Ella Hunt. Best known for playing the title role of the 2017 horror musical comedy, Anna and the Apocalypse, and portraying Sue Gilbert on Apple TV+’s Dickinson, the Horizon: An American Saga star told Fox News that she prepared for the role by spending months watching videos of the late comedic icon, talking with those she knew well, and trying to "get silly."
Emily Fairn (Laraine Newman)
One of the younger SNL cast members of the 1970s era (not to mention one of the more underrated Not Ready for Primetime Players), Laraine Newman is best known as the Coneheads’ teenage daughter, Connie. She will be portrayed by English actor Emily Fairn, who made her debut on the BBC crime drama, The Responder, and later appeared in one of the best Black Mirror episodes from Season 6, “Demon 79.”
Kim Matula (Jane Curtin)
Playing Jane Curtin — who became the first woman to host "Weekend Update" — is Kim Matula, who is nearly a dead ringer for the future 3rd Rock from the Sun star during SNL’s early years. Curtin is the second real-life person that the former The Bold and the Beautiful cast member and Fighting with My Family star has played, following her portrayal of Laura Ingraham on Season 3 of American Crime Story.
Cory Michael Smith (Chevy Chase)
SNL’s original “Weekend Update” anchor and resident pratfall expert, Chevy Chase, will be played by Cory Michael Smith. While the Gotham cast’s Riddler actor has certainly proven he has the acting chops with his performance in the Oscar-nominated May December, among other roles, he probably could have gotten the part with his chin alone.
Matt Wood (John Belushi)
Also bearing a close resemblance to his Saturday Night role is Matt Wood, who stars as John Belushi — the late, legendary comedic force who went on to star in films like Animal House and the aforementioned The Blues Brothers. This film marks the major motion picture debut of Wood, whom some might recognize as Officer Kenneth on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit or from an episode of Difficult People as “Drunk Santa” — a type of role he and Belushi actually have in common.
Gabriel LaBelle (Lorne Michaels)
Taking on the role of SNL’s creator and current executive producer, Lorne Michaels, is Gabrielle LaBelle. The closest that the young actor has previously come to portraying a real person is his breakthrough performance as a young aspiring filmmaker in The Fabelmans, which is inspired by the early life of co-writer and director Steven Spielberg.
Cooper Hoffman (Dick Ebersol)
NBC’s then Director of Weekend Late Night Programming, Dick Ebersol, played a pivotal role in Saturday Night Live’s development and would eventually take over the show as executive producer from 1981 to 1985. He will be played by Cooper Hoffman, the son of Phillip Seymour Hoffman, who made his acting debut as Gary Valentine in Licorice Pizza in 2021.
Rachel Sennott (Rosie Shuster)
Rosie Shuster — who served as a writer for SNL in its infancy and was also married to Lorne Michaels at the time — is played by Rachel Sennott. The actor rose to fame in recent years for her lead role in Shiva Baby, her stand-out performance in the A24 horror movie favorite, Bodies Bodies Bodies, and 2023’s coming-of-age comedy, Bottoms.
Tommy Dewey (Michael O'Donoghue)
One of the unsung heroes of the Not Ready for Primetime Players is Michael O’Donoghue – SNL’s original head writer who spoke the first line of the series and was credited as a cast member for the first three episodes. Deadline reports that he will be portrayed by Tommy Dewey, who previously worked with Jason Reitman in The Front Runner and is also known for Hulu’s Casual.
Nicholas Braun (Jim Henson/Andy Kaufman)
For some time, there was confusion regarding whether Nicholas Braun was playing Jim Henson like the trades had reported or Andy Kaufman as leaked behind-the-scenes material suggested. It was later confirmed that the former Succession cast member tackles both the role of the Muppets creator, who worked on a puppet-heavy recurring sketch called "The Land of Gorch," and of the cutting-edge comedian.
Nicholas Podany (Billy Crystal)
Before Billy Crystal officially joined the SNL cast for one season in 1984, as the 2015 edition of the book, Live from New York, recalls (via SlashFilm), he was scheduled to perform on the first episode but was ultimately cut. Portraying the future When Harry Met Sally… star in Saturday Night is Nicholas Podany, who had a major role on Apple TV+’s Hello Tomorrow!
Kaia Gerber (Jacqueline Carlin)
Actor Jacqueline Carlin appeared in several episodes of SNL (including the first), but was best known as Chevy Chase’s wife at the time. She will be played by model and actor Kaia Gerber, who recently worked with SNL vet Kristen Wiig on Palm Royale for Apple TV.
Andrew Barth Feldman (Neil Levy)
Young theater sensation Andrew Barth Feldman made a cinematic breakthrough in 2023’s No Hard Feelings, opposite Jennifer Lawrence, having previously landed a recurring role on Disney+’s High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. He will star in Saturday Night as Lorne Michaels’ cousin, Neil Levy, who wore many hats at Studio 8H – from acting to writing to producing – and revealed on the podcast, SNL Stories, that he was responsible for Eddie Murphy getting an audition to join the cast.
Finn Wolfhard (NBC Page)
Having previously worked with Jason Reitman on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Finn Wolfhard reunites with the filmmaker to play a page at NBC in Saturday Night. The Stranger Things star told People that Dan Aykroyd helped him prepare by sharing insider stories while on the set of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire.
Willem Dafoe (David Tebet)
Working with Jason Reitman for the first time as part of the Saturday Night cast is Willem Dafoe, known for roles like Spider-Man movie villain Green Goblin or an eccentric scientist in 2023’s Poor Things. A Deadline exclusive details that the four-time Academy Award nominee is starring as David Tebet, who worked at NBC as VP of Talent Relations when the show premiered.
Jon Batiste (Billy Preston)
According to THR, Jon Batiste is pulling double duty for Saturday Night. Not only is the Academy Award-winning musician (for collaborating on the music for Soul) composing the score for the film, he is also portraying one of the musical guests from the series’ first show: Grammy-winning artist Billy Preston.
Naomi McPherson (Janis Ian)
Also serving as musical guest that night was Janis Ian, who will be portrayed by Naomi McPherson, as THR exclusively broke. The singer-songwriter and guitarist for the band Muna, which was featured in Taylor Swift's Eras Tour, is making their acting debut as the Grammy-winning queer icon.
J.K. Simmons (Milton Berle)
Oscar winner J.K. Simmons has been a staple of Jason Reitman’s career since his 2005 directorial debut, Thank You for Smoking. The partnership has yet to end, as Reitman cast the Juno actor in Saturday Night as legendary comedian Milton Berle, as Deadline reported.
Matthew Rhys (George Carlin)
The very first host of Saturday Night Live (who only performed monologues and never appeared in any sketches) was celebrated stand-up comic George Carlin. Filling his shoes in Saturday Night is Welsh actor Matthew Rhys, who is known best for his Emmy-winning role on The Americans and, more recently, playing the title role of HBO's Perry Mason reboot.
The sizable Saturday Night cast is even bigger than we have already shown you. The following are the rest of the names confirmed to star:
- Joe Chrest (Herb Sargent)
- Taylor Gray (Al Franken)
- Mcabe Gregg (Tom Davis)
- Billy Bryk (TBA)
- Paul Rust (Paul Schaffer)
What Is Saturday Night Rated?
We have a while before the MPA will have a chance to review Saturday Night and give it a proper rating. However, considering the amount of F-bombs in the trailer, an R rating seems certain.
Jason Reitman Co-Writes And Directs Saturday Night
At the helm of Saturday Night is Jason Reitman — the Academy Award-nominated filmmaker behind such acclaimed dramedies as Thank You For Smoking and Juno, who first tried his hand at biopics with 2018’s The Front Runner. The director actually has a personal connection to the variety show’s legacy as the son of the late Ivan Reitman, who worked with several of the show’s stars on films like National Lampoon’s Animal House and Ghostbusters. In fact, Jason revived the horror comedy franchise as the director of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, which was also the last film his father produced before his death in 2022.
Reitman’s co-writer on Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Gil Kenan — who directed the 2024 follow-up, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire — is also his co-writer for Saturday Night. The duo personally conducted extensive interviews with those who witnessed what took place backstage at Studio 8H on the day of NBC’s Saturday Night’s premiere to prepare.
How To Watch The First Episode Of Saturday Night Live
Before you bear witness to what went on during the night of SNL’s first live broadcast when Saturday Night hits theaters, it might help to refresh your memory — or discover it for the first time — by giving the show a watch. The episode is available to stream with a Peacock subscription.
Stream the first episode of Saturday Night Live on Peacock.
There have been some great Saturday Night Live movies, but it is truly exciting to finally see a film that is actually about the show itself.
