Saturday Night Live is an enduring staple in not only late-night television but pop culture as a whole. The sketch comedy variety series has dominated weekend entertainment for nearly 50 years, launching some of the greatest comic careers for all-time as well as some incredibly iconic moments. If you are an actor, singer, or a celebrity of any variety, it is an honor and dream to be a guest on SNL. Now, a new film, aptly titled Saturday Night, will take viewers into the intense 90 minutes before the first Saturday Night Live episode aired in 1975. The trailer for the Saturday Night movie captures the humor, drama, and chaos of making Saturday Night Live, a TV show that no one knew would become a resounding success.
We get to see quite a few funny moments, including someone mispronouncing Dan Ackroyd’s name in total frustration and a flurry of behind-the-scenes shifts. Here’s a synopsis for Saturday Night to accompany its trailers:
At 11:30pm on October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television – and culture – forever. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Gil Kenan & Reitman, Saturday Night is 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. Full of humor, chaos, and the magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, we count down the minutes in real time until we hear those famous words…
The Saturday Night cast is predictably huge and stacked with the following people: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, Kim Matula, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Braun, Cooper Hoffman, Andrew Barth Feldman, Kaia Gerber, Tommy Dewey, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, J.K. Simmons, Jon Batiste, and Naomi McPherson.
What Is the Release Date for Saturday Night Movie?
The film hits theaters on, you guessed it, October 11. (No, that date is not on a Saturday night.) While it seems surprising to release it this year instead of next year on the 50th anniversary, we can think of it as a year-long kickoff of good things to come. In addition to this movie, Saturday Night Live is doing a 3-hour comedy special in February 2025. And surely there will be something happening in October 2025 to mark the big day. Until then, we are ready for Saturday Night.
Originally published August 8, 2024.
