Sony Pictures' SNL 1975 has found its main cast, Deadline exclusively reported.
The Jason Reitman-helmed movie is based on true-to-life behind the scenes stories about the pilot episode of Saturday Night Live which premiered on Oct. 11, 1975.
Lamorne Morris will play Garrett Morris, Dylan O'Brien will play Dan Aykroyd, Cory Michael Smith will play Chevy Chase and Matt Wood will play John Belushi. Reitman and Gil Kenan wrote the original screenplay.
SNL History 101
In October 1975, the show we now know as Saturday Night Live (or SNL) created by Lorne Michaels, premiered with host George Carlin. The show, famous for its comedy sketches, parodied contemporary American culture and politics with a revolving cast of established and up-and-coming comedians.
Michaels left in 1980, but returned in 1985. Many of the show's cast members have gone on to achieve success in both film and television (and nowadays, streaming) in front of and behind the cameras.
The show broadcasts from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and has aired more than 950 episodes since its premiere. In its almost five decades of existence, SNL has received 84 Primetime Emmy Awards, six Writers Guild of America Awards and three Peabody Awards. In 2000, the show was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
SNL changed its name from NBC's Saturday Night to Saturday Night Life when Howard Cosell's show on ABC was canceled. In 1976, NBC bought the name's rights and officially adopted it during the 17th episode of the second season.
SNL started with three rotating permanent hosts: Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor and Carlin. The original 1975 cast, called “The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players” by writer Herb Sargent include Laraine Newman, Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Aykroyd, Morris and Chase.
Reitman and Kenan based their screenplay on extensive interviews of all the living cast members, crew and writers.
The actors playing some of “The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players”
Lamorne Morris is best known for playing Winston on New Girl, which ran for seven seasons. He most recently played Deputy Witt Farr in Fargo and joined Netflix's Unstable for season two opposite Rob Lowe.
Garrett Morris (no relation to Lamorne) was on SNL from 1985 to 1990 and was the first African-American cast member. He played Earl on Two Broke Girls and Lloyd on This is Us. He most recently guest starred in How I Met Your Father.
O'Brien is best known to the audience for playing Mieczyslaw “Stiles” Stilinski on Teen Wolf, which lasted six seasons, and Thomas in the Maze Runner trilogy. He most recently starred in Ponyboi which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. O'Brien's next project are the films Caddo Lake and Anniversary.
Aykroyd was on SNL from 1975 to 1979 and originally conceptualized Ghostbusters with him and Belushi as its stars. He went on to write and star in the 1984 film director by Jason Reitman's father, Ivan. He currently stars in the newest Ghostbusters film, Frozen Empire.
Smith is best known as the Riddler on Fox's Gotham. He was most recently in Todd Haynes' May December where he played Julianne Moore's son, as well as in the Netflix limited series Transatlantic.
Chase was an SNL cast member from 1975 to 1976 where he won two Primetime Emmys out of four nominations. On film, he's best known as for his roles in several 1980s comedies such as Caddyshack, National Lampoon and Vacation. He also played Pierce Hawthorne in Community from 2009 to 2014.
Wood was in the original Broadway cast of SpongeBob SquarePants and played Augustus Gloop in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for its Broadway First National Tour.
Belushi was on SNL from 1975 to 1979 where he formed a close friendship and creative partnership with fellow Second City alum Aykroyd. The pair took their The Blues Brothers sketch from the show to the 1980 movie of the same title. The comedian struggled with substance abuse and died in 1982.
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