Details

Glimpse into the chaotic and high-pressure 90 minutes leading up to the 1975 debut of American comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live in Saturday Night.

The film explores the early days of iconic figures like Dan Aykroyd (Dylan O'Brien), John Belushi (Matt Wood), Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), and Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt), alongside the show's creator Lorne Michaels (Gabriel Labelle), as they race to put together the first edition of a show that would become a live television phenomenon. Under the immense pressure of live television, with its technical difficulties, last-minute schedule changes and explosive clashes, this is the story of how one of the most famous TV shows ever almost didn't make it.

Written by Gil Kenan (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) & Jason Reitman, Saturday Night is directed by Jason Reitman (Ghostbusters: Afterlife) and stars Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans), Rachel Sennott (Bodies Bodies Bodies), Cory Michael Smith (Gotham), Ella Hunt (Dickinson), Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf, Maze Runner), Emily Fairn (Black Mirror), Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris (New Girl), Kim Matula (Tapawingo), Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things), Nicholas Braun (Succession), Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza), Andrew Barth Feldman (No Hard Feelings), Kaia Gerber (Bottoms), Tommy Dewey (Casual), Willem Dafoe (Spider-Man), Matthew Rhys (The Americans), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash, Spider-Man). Also rounding out the ensemble cast are Jon Batiste and Naomi McPherson.

Synopsis

At 11:30pm on 11th October 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 humour, 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...

Saturday Night is released on DVD 14th April 2025 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.