A ‘Saturday Night Live’ movie is on the way
As “Saturday Night Live” heads toward its 50th anniversary, there is a behind-the-scenes movie in the works about the making of the comedy show’s first broadcast, on Oct. 11, 1975. Called “SNL 1975,” it will be co-written and directed by Jason Reitman of “Up in the Air,” “Juno,” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and Hulu’s “Casual.” Reitman and cowriter Gil Kenan have based their screenplay on interviews they’ve conducted with surviving original cast members, writers, and crew.
The casting for this one will probably get a lot of attention, given some of the high-profile entertainers to be depicted in the story, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner. We may also see versions of first host George Carlin, first musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian, and Andy Kaufman, who did his Andy Kaufman thing in a segment.
I’m sure Reitman & Co. will dole out the names of the cast slowly, to stir as much interest as possible in the movie. So far, we know that “SNL” honcho Lorne Michaels will be played by Gabriel LaBelle, the actor who played the Steven Spielberg-like character in Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans.” Cooper Hoffman, from “Licorice Pizza,” will play Dick Ebersol, the NBC executive who developed the show. And Rachel Sennott, from “Shiva Baby” and “Bottoms,” will play Rosie Shuster, who was married to Michaels from 1971-80 and was an early writer on “SNL.”
I’m assuming the goal is to release “SNL 1975” during the 50th anniversary year, 2025.