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One October night in 1975, television history was altered for the better. This new comedy sketch show set in motion a new direction of late-night television in America, and in the process, established some big names in comedy. From the initial cast, names like Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner, quickly became household names thanks toSaturday Night Live.
The show has since consolidated its place within the national consciousness. Just this year, its 49th season finished airing, continuously bringing new celebrities to the forefront. It only makes sense then that a film about its first-ever episode has been announced. The new film,Saturday Night, is set to center on the creation of the first episode.
Saturday Night’s first trailer teases audiences about the build-up to the first episode. The film will explore the disorder behind the scenes in the 90 minutes before that fateful episode was broadcast to the nation. The question many have is, willSaturday Nightbe an accurate retelling? And, how accurate areSaturday Night’s actors compared to the real SNL cast? Definitive answers will arrive once the film is released this October. However, the trailer already gives audiences a pretty good idea.
Who Will Star in Saturday Night?
Saturday Night
Saturday Nightis bringing together some pretty big names in the film to represent the initial cast members, writers, and others involved in the first episode. A closer look into theSaturday Nightcast and the real people they play will help explore the cast while offering some insight into how accurate a portrayal the film may be.
The creator ofSaturday Night Live, Lorne Michaels, was originally approached to take on the show by the executive producer of Paramount Pictures. This came after the president of NBC expressed interest in a new late-night show to fill the slot afterThe Saturday/Sunday Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carsonstopped airing on weekends.Michaels was the one who brought together the original cast, and his character is represented by theCanadian actor, Gabriel LaBelle.The trailer does hint at the ambition Michaels had to ensure that the early days ofSNLwould not flounder.
Audiences can expect to seeDylan O’Brien, known for his roles inTeen WolfandThe Maze Runner, asDan Aykroyd, whose run on SNL only lasted four years before Hollywood came calling.Cory Michael Smithhas been cast to playChevy Chase, and from the trailer, the resemblance is definitely there.Chase was SNL’s initial breakout star, and left during the second season to pursue a career in Hollywood, and quickly became one of the new leading men, with films likeCaddyshackandFoul Play. Being in the show for five seasons, and having some of the funniest characters of the earlySNLera,Gilda Radneris being portrayed byElla Hunt,whose charisma makes her quite a good choice.
The casting choices that offer a different depth to the film will be those of the crew of writers and producers audiences tend not to see. This includesRosie Shuster, wife to Lorne Michaels, who is to be played byRachel Sennot. Being able to experience the chemistry between Shuster and Michaels whilst writing for the show will definitely be interesting. Equally interesting will be the character played byFinn Wolfhard. Wolfhard is portraying aninternat NBC, and from his first appearance in the trailer, he does appear to have a chaotic shift at work ahead of him.
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How Accurate Will Saturday Night Be?
In terms of both appearance and personality, the casting seems very well done, especially with what is known about the original cast in their early days. But the question remains, how accurate are theSaturday Nightactorscompared to the realSNLcast? Apparently, pretty accurate.
From its announcement in May 2023,Saturday Night’s director,Jason Reitman, along with his co-writer, Gil Kenan, have been busy attempting to create an accurate recreation of that first broadcast. Reitman and Kenan, developing the screenplay,conducted interviews with the living membersof the cast and crew, finding out what the night and the build-up to it was really like. This offers fans reassurance that portrayals will be loyal to the source material, capturing the atmosphere of that opening night and the relationship between the cast and crew.
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Every episode is dictated by a manic schedule, and getting anything to air involves a long chain of steps to ensure quality control.
The Story Behind Saturday Night Live
The birth ofSaturday Night Livecame out of the need to replace a previously well-loved weekend-night live show. Between 1965 and 1975,The Tonight Showhosted by Johnny Carson took up either the Saturday or Sunday nighttime slot. However, by 1974, Carson expressed his disinterest in having a weekend slot, allowing the NBC president to seek out a replacement.
Within three weeks, NBC president Herbert Schlosser and vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol, came up with a variety show which would include high-concept comedy sketches with music performances and political satire. The show was aimed at capturing the 18-to-34-year-old audience, building a suitable cast around this. Debuting on August 23, 2025, NBC’sSaturday Nightrapidly gained a cult following, justifying its continuation today. Soon enough, they bought the rights to the nameSaturday Night live, afterSaturday Night Live with Howard Cosellwas canceled by ABC in 1976.
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This signaled the beginning of the ever-iconic American sketch show, with massive success and a strong comedic legacy. With this in mind, it seems strange that only now has a project like that ofSaturday Nightbeen brought into production.Saturday Nightis set to be released on the 49th anniversary of the night in question, July 26, 2025.
