In its nearly five decades on the air, Saturday Night Live has seen some amazing casts, but the most memorable, iconic, and influential batch of SNL cast members remains the series’ very first ensemble. The impact they created in just five seasons (or less) was so 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 SNL 1975 comes out.
The Not Ready for Primetime Players, 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 an 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 SNL 1975.
What Is The SNL 1975 Release Date?
There is no set release date yet for SNL 1975, which was announced in mid-2023. Therefore, a spot on the upcoming 2024 movies schedule might be unlikely. However, there is potential that it will hit theaters in 2025, which is an especially appropriate time, given that it would commemorate the 50th anniversary of Saturday Night Live.
A Dramatized, Behind-The Scenes Look At SNL’s First Episode
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 SNL 1975.
According to Deadline, the film — which is being distributed by Sony Pictures — will be a dramatization of October 11, 1975, 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 SNL 1975 Cast: Who’s Playing Who In The Saturday Night Live Biopic
For many die-hard fans of Saturday Night Live, the original cast is simply irreplaceable. However, Sony has managed to put together an ensemble of actors who not only have the looks, but 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 SNL 1975 cast:
Lamorne Morris (Garrett Morris)
There is no relation between Lamorne Morris and Garrett Morris, save the fact that the former New Girl cast member is portraying the comedian and SNL’s first Black cast member in SNL 1975. Lamorne is also known for leading the Hulu original comedy, Woke, and appearing in the fifth season of FX’s Fargo.
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)
The late Gilda Radner — famous for such characters as the hard-of-hearing Emily Litella and the obnoxious over-sharer Rosanne Roseannadanna — will be played by Ella Hunt. The English actor and musician is best known for playing the title role of the 2017 horror musical comedy, Anna and the Apocalypse, and for her portrayal of Sue Gilbert on Apple TV+’s Dickinson.
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 will play, 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 SNL 1975 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… Or Andy Kaufman?)
Several news outlets have reported that Nicholas Braun is starring as Jim Henson, who worked on a recurring sketch featuring puppets called “The Land of Gorch” during the series’ first season. However, the former Succession cast member has been spotted in photos and footage captured from the set bearing a wardrobe and haircut very closely resembling Andy Kaufman from the premiere episode of NBC’s Saturday Night. Whether he really is playing the Muppets creator like the initial announcement claims or the cutting edge comedian like subsequent evidence suggests has yet to be confirmed.
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 SNL 1975 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 SNL 1975 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 SNL 1975. 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 SNL 1975 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 SNL 1975. 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 – whose plays guitar for the band Muna, which was featured in Taylor Swift's Era 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 actor in SNL 1975 as legendary comedian Milton Berle, as Deadline reported.
The sizable SNL 1975 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)
What Is SNL 1975 Rated?
We have a while before the MPA will have a chance to review SNL 1975 and give it a proper rating. However, we imagine that, to maintain authenticity, it could potentially get an R rating.
Jason Reitman Co-Writes And Directs SNL 1975
At the helm of SNL 1975 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 SNL 1975. 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.
SNL 1975 Is Currently Filming
Reitman announced via an Instagram post that SNL 1975 went into production on March 11, 2024. Since then, photos captured from the set and footage has been released, in which Gabrielle LaBelle, as Lorne Michaels, is seen interacting with Finn Wolfhard and Nicholas Braun’s roles. Therefore, we know that, while there is still no release date confirmed, the film is well on its way.
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 SNL 1975 hits theaters, it might help to refresh your memory — or discover it for the first time — by giving the show a watch. The episode, hosted by comedian George Carlin, 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.
