Willem Dafoehas picked up his next project the Oscar-nominated actor will join thee ensemble ofSNL 1975(working title). The feature is helmed byGhostbusters: Frozen Empire’sJason Reitman, that isbased on the real-life behind-the-scenes accounts of the opening episode of Saturday Night Live. Dafoe will essay the famous publicist and network executiveDavid Tebet.
The film is billed as the “true story of what happened behind the scenes” whenNBC’sSaturday Night Livefirst launched in 1975. The feature chronicles the chaos and magic of the revolutionary format, counting down the minutes in real time to the words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” The film is penned by Reitman with creative partnerGil Kenan.
‘SNL 1975’ Will Be Shot in Real Time
Reitman and Kenan based the screenplay on extensive interviews with all the living cast members, writers and crew of the original show. Recentlyspeaking to Collider Kenan revealed, “It’s the 90 minutes leading up to the show starting. I think Jason’s already said that. I want to be careful not to jump the gun before because I want Jason to be able to properly set this one up when he’s ready to come out and do press, but I’m so excited about it.” He further shared thatthe film will indeed be shot in real timeand it is “an absolute love letter. For us, that was comedy school growing up, was SNL. So, yeah, we’re beyond thrilled and honored to be able to tell that story.”
SNLis unarguably one of the best live shows of all time, and has launched several careers. Fans still tune in every Saturday to watch anew celebrity hosting it and presenting their hilarious skits and sketches. Watching the story of how it came to be is going to be an interesting peak into the show’s history. To bring the story to like the cast also feature a host of stars playing the original cast, includingGabriel LaBelleas Lorne Michaels,Cooper Hoffmanas Dick Ebersol,Rachel Sennottas Rosie Shuster,Ella Huntas Gilda Radner,Emily Fairnas Laraine Newman,Kim Matulaas Jane Curtin,Dylan O’Brienas Dan Aykroyd,Lamorne Morrisas Garrett Morris,Cory Michael Smithas Chevy Chase,Matt Woodas John Belushi,Nicholas Braunas Jim Henson among others.
SNL 1975does not have a release date yet, stay tuned to Collider for further updates. You can check out our conversation with Kenan below:
On June 13, 2025, a troupe of young comedians changed TV forever. Follow the behind-the-scenes story in the moments leading up to SNL’s first broadcast.
