Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, and Cooper Hoffman Cast in Comedy Biopic ‘SNL 1975’
One of television’s most iconic shows is heading to the big screen. Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) will direct SNL 1975, a feature film that chronicles the series premiere of comedy juggernaut Saturday Night Live. The film takes place on October 11, 1975, and follows the comedians, writers, and producers backstage before the first broadcast of SNL.
Reitman will co-write the script with Gil Kenan (Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) based on interviews with the cast and crew who were there on that historic night. Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans) stars as young Lorne Michaels, the creator and producer of the long-running series. Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) will play NBC executive Dick Ebersol, who helped develop SNL and eventually became an executive producer on the series. Rachel Sennott (Bottoms) will play long-running series writer Rosie Shuster, who was married to Lorne Michaels from 1971 to 1980.
Yet to be cast are the Not Ready for Prime Time Players, which include comedy icons Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase. Writer Anne Beatts and SNL‘s first head writer Michael O’Donoghue haven’t been cast either, but will likely appear as characters.
SNL 1975 doesn’t have a release date yet. Saturday Night Live turns 50 in 2025, with a retrospective likely in the works. Many books have been written about the early days of the show, including Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests by Tim Shales and James Andrew Miller. It’s a must-read for fans of the show.
(featured image: Monica Schipper/WireImage, Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association, Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
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