SNL 1975 continues to develop, as new casting for the upcoming Sony Pictures films has been announced.
Deadline reports that J.K. Simmons, Billy Bryk, Taylor Gray, Mcabe Gregg, and Joe Chrest will join other stars in the cast.
Simmons will play Milton Berle. Meanwhile, Chrest will be Weekend Update co-creator Herb Sargent. Finally, Gray and Gregg will star as Al Franken and Tom Davis. As for Bryk, details on who he'll be cast as have not yet been released.
They'll work with Gabrielle LaBelle, Cooper Hoffman, Rachel Sennott, Ella Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Dylan O'Brien, Nicholas Braun, Finn Wolfhard, and Kaia Gerber.
Jason Reitman directs the film. Gil Kenan will be a creative partner.
About SNL 1975
The film will focus on the dawn of Saturday Night Live! in 1975 when the program started. It will follow young comedians who want to create a live comedy sketch show, Esquire reports.
It was launched on October 11th, 1975, and a talented group of comedians, writers, and artists brought with it. The new movie will cover the true story of how it was put together and all the behind-the-scenes happenings.
The whole movie is in real time, 90 minutes before it goes on air, Collider reports. It goes up to announcing, “Live from New York, it's Saturday night!” on NBC.
“It's the 90 minutes leading up to the show starting,” Kenan said. “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 press, but I'm so excited about it. It's 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.”
As for the first real-life show, comedian George Carlin hosted it. He performed three monologues, but didn't perform in any sketches due to being “completely stoned,” Collider states, from the the book Live from New York.
As for musical guests, the honor went to Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Plus, Andy Kaufman was a guest star.
The first cast members included Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris, and Michael O'Donoghue.
Notable Saturday Night Live cast members
The comedy show has brought a ton of talent to Studio 8H. There are over 100 cast members throughout the years, but some of the most notable ones have gone on to bigger things.
Adam Sandler is a prime example. He was on from 1991 to 1995. Some of his memorable sketches include Opera Man and Canteen Boy. From there, he became a major Hollywood star with movies like Anger Management, Happy Gilmore, and The Wedding Singer.
John Belushi was another giant. As the original cast member, he played a Samari and was a Blues Brother with Aykroyd.
Other notable cast members are Will Ferrell (1995-2002), Kristen Wiig (2005-2012), Bill Hader (2005-2013), Jan Hooks (1986-1991), Bill Murray (1977-1980), and Eddie Murphy (1980-1984).
SNL celebrates its 50th anniversary next year, so this new movie should hit theaters sometime in 2025.
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