Release date and title confirmed for movie chronicling first ‘Saturday Night Live’ episode
Although the production has been announced for a significant amount of time, the upcoming Saturday Night Live movie, has finally been given the title, Saturday Night, and is set for release on October 11th.
The release date coincides with the 49th-anniversary of the first episode of the sketch show being aired on NBC in 1975, which is appropriate as the movie documents how the programme came to fruition, and the making of the debut broadcast. Furthermore, the name of the movie is due to the first episode being titled, NBC’s Saturday Night.
Last year, it was revealed director Jason Reitman had been lined up by Sony Pictures to create a new movie depicting the inaugural episode of the hit comedy programme. The show, devised by Lorne Michaels, recently concluded its 49th season on NBC and has grown into a cultural institution over the last several decades.
The movie has been written by Reitman in collaboration with Gil Kenan, with the script inspired by a series of interviews carried out with individuals who were at Rockefeller Plaze in 1975 when Saturday Night was first devised.
An official synopsis for the movie states that it’s “based on the true story of what happened behind the scenes in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.” It also promises to be “full of humor, chaos and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time to the famous words: ‘Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!’”
Saturday Night sees Dylan O’Brien star as Dan Aykroyd, Nicholas Braun as Jim Henson and Stranger Things actor Finn Wolfhard portrays a young intern at NBC. Additionally, Gabrielle LaBelle plays the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels, and Grammy winner Jon Batiste is composing the score, as well as portraying musician Billy Preston who performed on the inaugural episode alongside Janis Ian.
A date is yet to be revealed for the 50th season of Saturday Night Live, but it’s likely that it will coincide with the upcoming movie, which could potentially lead to a crossover episode. Guest hosts of the last series of the sketch show included Ryan Gosling, Timothée Chalamet, Sydney Sweeney as well as former cast members Pete Davidson and Kristen Wiig.
At this stage, no trailer has been released for Saturday Night. However, with just over two months until it enters cinemas across the globe, the first glimpse at Reitman’s depiction of the historical cultural event is likely to arrive imminently.
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