‘SNL 1975’ Has Found Its Not Ready For Prime Time Players

Can you believe Saturday Night Live is still thriving, almost fifty years after it first aired? To celebrate the milestone, Sony is working on a new film about the show’s early days, including the luminaries who made up its very first cast.

Here’s everything we know so far about SNL 1975.

What is SNL 1975 about?

According to multiple sources, SNL 1975 will focus on the events of October 11, 1975, the date that the very first episode of SNL aired. Screenwriters Jason Reitman (who is also directing) and Gil Kenan based their script off of interviews they performed with former cast and crew members.

If you’re familiar with the early days of SNL, you know there’s a lot of material to draw from. You’re likely already familiar with the basic format of the show: a different celebrity guest hosts the live broadcast each week, and performs alongside the show’s regular cast members in a variety of sketches. There are a couple of breaks for a musical guest to perform. Two or more cast members put on a news segment called “Weekend Update.” Jokes are told, fun is had.

If you haven’t gone through the show’s archives to watch the first season, though, you’re in for a treat. The very first cast was known as the Not Ready For Prime Time Players, and included actors who are now household names: Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner. The original cast created unforgettable characters like the Blues Brothers, Roseanne Roseannadanna, and more.

One especially legendary sketch from SNL‘s first episode is Andy Kaufman’s rendition of the Mighty Mouse theme, recreated by Jim Carrey in 1999’s Man on the Moon. Will that sketch be recreated again in SNL 1975? Maybe.

So is SNL 1975 a documentary? Is it going to use archival footage? Nope—Sony is recreating the birth of SNL from scratch.

Who’s in the cast of SNL 1975?

Several casting announcements have filled out the roster for the Not Ready for Prime Time Players:

• Dylan O’Brien as Dan Ackroyd
• Matt Wood as John Belushi
• Cory Michael Smith as Chevy Chase
• Kim Matula as Jane Curtin
• Lamorne Morris as Garrett Morris
• Emily Fairne as Laraine Newman
• Ella Hunt as Gilda Radner

Along with the players, Gabriel LaBelle will play SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman will play NBC executive (and showrunner from 1981-1985) Dick Ebersol, and Rachel Sennott will play Michael’s ex-wife Rosie Schuster.

When is SNL 1975 coming out?

SNL 1975 hasn’t started filming yet, so a 2024 release is unlikely. However, with 2025 being the fiftieth anniversary of the series, a release window sometime next year would make a lot of sense.

(featured image: NBC)