Posted in: Movies, NBC, Sony, TV | Tagged: jason reitman, nbc, saturday night, saturday night live, snl, sony pictures

Saturday Night Dir. Jason Reitman on His Time Guest-Writing for SNL

Saturday Night director Jason Reitman discusses his time as a guest writer on SNL and his Ashton Kutcher-starring sketch that made it to air.

When writer and director Jason Reitman was tasked to capture the magic and chaos of the premiere episode of Saturday Night Live in Sony's upcoming biopic Saturday Night, he embraced the challenge not only finding a talented ensemble to replicate not only creator Lorne Michaels with Gabriel LaBelle, but the legendary original cast members with Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O'Brien, Emily Fairn, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, and Kim Matula respectively playing Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Garrett Morris, and Jane Curtin. Reitman spoke with Entertainment Weekly at the Toronto International Film Festival about his stint as a guest writer in the NBC late-night variety series.

Saturday Night Director Jason Reitman on Guest Writing Stint on SNL

"One of the greatest weeks of my life," Reitman said of his time as a guest writer on SNL. "I was lucky enough to guest write at' Saturday Night Live' back in 2008, right after 'Juno,' I got the chance to go in and spend one week. I got a sketch on the air." Reitman, the son of the late Ivan Reitman, served as a guest writer on the April 12th, 2008, episode with Ashton Kutcher hosting. His contribution was a three-part short called "Death By Chocolate," which has Kutcher playing a murderous chocolate bar by stabbing, shooting, and maiming.

When asked about his aim and goals for Saturday Night, the series' original title when it premiered on NBC, "That feeling, minutes before, when they're still painting the set, and they're still hemming the dresses, and they're pining the wigs, and it feels like there's no way that this show could possibly get on-air," Reitman said. "We wanted to capture that energy and exhilaration when a cast comes together, a cast and crew when they all come together, and you just somehow make it across the finish line." For more on how Reitman breaks down his film and working with Gil Kenan, you can check out the entire interview. Saturday Night opens in Los Angeles, New York, and Toronto on September 27th, followed by a limited release on October 4th and a wide release on October 11th.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!