SNL 1975: Saturday Night Live Movie Casts Its Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman

Saturday Night Live is getting the biopic treatment. SNL first debuted on NBC in 1975, and it’s been a television staple ever since. It was announced last year that Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman was set to helm a new movie about SNL‘s first broadcast. It was previously announced that Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans) had been cast as SNL‘s creator and longtime producer, Lorne Michaels. The cast also includes Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) as Dick Ebersol, former Vice President of Late Night Programming at NBC, and Rachel Sennott (Bottoms) as Rosie Shuster, former SNL writer who was married to Michaels when the sketch series debuted. This week, Deadline revealed more names have been added to the cast list. 

SNL‘s original cast lineup included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O’Donoghue, and Gilda Radner. According to the latest report, Newman, Radner, and Curtin have all been cast. Emily Fairn (Black Mirror) will play Newman, Kim Matula (Fighting With My Family) will play Curtain, and Ella Hunt (Anna and the Apocalypse) will play Radner. You can read the description of the film below:

“On October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. SNL 1975 is the true story of what happened that night behind the scenes in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of SNL. It depicts the chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!’”

Reitman wrote the film’s script along with Gil Kenan (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire). Reitman and Kenan conducted “extensive” interviews with the living SNL cast, writers, and crew from 1975 when working on the script. 

Is There a New SNL Tonight?

Saturday Night Live is back tonight, January 27th, for its second new episode of the year. Dakota Johnson is hosting for the second time in honor of her upcoming Sony/Marvel movie, Madame Web, which hits theaters next month. She’ll be joined by musical guest Justin Timberlake, who is appearing on the iconic sketch show for the eighth time. As with all new live episodes, Saturday Night Live will air simultaneously on NBC and Peacock beginning at 11:30 PM ET. 

Stay tuned for more updates about SNL 1975. Is there anyone you’d like to see cast as Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and the other original SNL cast members? Tell us in the comments!