Jason Reitman has just added JK Simmons to SNL 1975, which charts the founding of the long-running US sketch show.
Saturday Night Live is an American TV institution, having proved responsible for bringing many talented performers into the public consciousness since it first aired in 1975. Director Jason Reitman plans to look at how it all began with SNL 1975, an ensemble drama that promises to take a behind the scenes look at how the debut show came together in real time.
The cast for this one was already impressive and in true SNL fashion, includes a lot of up and coming talent alongside some more established players. As it stands, The Fabelmans breakout star, ‘Gabriel LaBelle leads the ensemble as Lorne Michaels, with Cooper Hoffman, Rachel Sennott, Ella Hunt, Lamorne Morris, Dylan O’Brien, Nicholas Braun, Finn Wolfhard and Kaia Gerber also to star’, according to Deadline.
According to the outlet, other members of the ensemble also include ‘include Billy Bryk (Friendship), Joe Chrest (Stranger Things), Taylor Gray (Star Wars: Rebels) and Mcabe Gregg (Teenage Badass). It has now been revealed that none other than JK Simmons has signed up for a role in the project, bringing a dash of experience to the proceedings. This is no surprise really: Simmons is a long-time collaborator of Reitman’s with the pair having previously worked together on Juno, Thank You For Smoking and Up In The Air.
Here’s the synopsis for the film:
‘It was on October 11th, 1975 that a ferocious troupe of young comedians and writers changed television forever. This is the true story of what happened that night behind the scenes in the moments leading up to the first broadcast of SNL. The chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, as we count down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night.’
Simmons has a few other projects currently in production, including a role as Santa Claus in the upcoming Netflix movie, Red One. He’s also set to be directed by Clint Eastwood in the latter’s final film, Juror #2. According to reports, Simmons will also be reprising his role as Ray King in the recently-announced sequel to The Accountant, currently going by the good old-fashioned moniker of The Accountant 2.
That one is said to have entered production this month, so looking at Simmons’ upcoming slate it could well be that SNL 1975 will be his next project. When we learn a few more details about this one, including a production date or scheduled release details, we’ll be sure to let you know.
