‘SNL 1975’ Movie Finds Its Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin & Laraine Newman

EXCLUSIVE: Ella Hunt, Emily Fairn and Kim Matula have joined Sony Pictures’ SNL 1975, to be directed by Jason Reitman and based on the real-life behind-the-scenes accounts of Saturday Night Live‘s opening night. Hunt will play Gilda Radner, Fairn will play Laraine Newman, and Matula will play Jane Curtin. The original screenplay is by Reitman and Gil Kenan.

On October 11, 1975, a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. SNL 1975 is the true story of what happened behind the scenes that night in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of NBC’s SNL. It depicts the chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”

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The screenplay is based on an extensive series of interviews conducted by Reitman and Kenan with all the living cast members, writers and crew. Reitman, Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld, Erica Mills and Peter Rice are producing.

RELATED: Justin Timberlake Vows Vengeance To Sarah Sherman For Oscar Snub In ‘SNL’ Promo

Best known for her role in the Apple series Dickinson, Hunt most recently was seen in the Sony 3000 Pictures and Netflix adaptation of the D.H. Lawrence novel Lady Chatterley’s Lover, opposite Emma Corrin and Jack O’Connell, and in the Amazon Studios drama Master, directed by Mariama Diallo. She next will be seen in the four-part Western Horizon: An American Saga co-written, produced, directed by and starring Kevin Costner.

Fairn most recently starred opposite Martin Freeman in BAFTA-nominated The Responder for BBC One. Up next, she will star in Sky Atlantic and AMC’s Mary and George, opposite Julianne Moore, and in Jack Thorne’s feature film Joy alongside Amanda Posey and Finola Dwyer.

RELATED: ‘The Fabelmans’ Star Gabriel LaBelle To Play Lorne Michaels In Sony’s ‘SNL 1975’; Cooper Hoffman & Rachel Sennott Also Join Ensemble

Matula starred in the Fox comedy LA To Vegas, which was produced by Steven Levitan and co-starred Dylan McDermott, and appeared in Lifetime‘s UnReal. On the feature side, she worked with Stephen Merchant in MGM’s Fighting with My Family opposite Florence Pugh, Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost and Dwayne Johnson, and last year starred in the indie comedy Tappawingo opposite Jon Heder.

Hunt is repped by UTA and United Agents. Fairn is repped by Joshua Woodford at Hamilton Hodell. Matula is repped by Innovative Artists and Ethos Entertainment.

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