‘Lorne’ Trailer: Chris Rock, Conan O’Brien, Tina Fey, & More Salute ‘SNL’ Creator In New Doc
“Lorne is the ultimate show business survivor. He’s still here and 100 executives are not.”
Focus Features is releasing what’s billed as the “only documentary Lorne Michaels will ever do,” complete with a stacked cast of Saturday Night Live alumni including Chris Rock, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Kirsten Wiig, Seth Meyers, Mike Myers, Colin Jost, and Sarah Sherman. And while none of them seem to have insight into what makes the 81-year-old SNL creator and producer of the iconic sketch show tick, their utmost respect is palpable—even if it does seem to be born of fear.
“He’s going to have notes that are impossible to understand” said Meyers, who served as both a writer and cast member from 2001 to 2014 before taking his current gig as the host of Late Night, which Michaels also produces. Jost, who’s anchored SNL‘s famed “Weekend Update” segment since 2014, added, “It feels like he’s blowing your soul out of your body” referencing the “sigh” Michaels lets out upon viewing a bit that isn’t working.
But it’s Conan O’Brien, who wrote for SNL in the early 1990s before becoming the comedy fan’s favorite late-night talk show host, that best contextualizes Michaels’ lifework: “Lorne is the ultimate show business survivor. He’s still here and 100 executives are not.”
What other stories and revelations Lorne holds remains to be seen, but expectations should be high, as it’s directed by Morgan Neville, the Academy Award-winning director behind 20 Feet from Stardom, Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain, and Won’t You Be My Neighbor. As for Michaels’ own perspective: “I’m probably too driven to be a hippie. What I wanted was a voice in the culture. And SNL was that vehicle.” Lorne arrives in theaters on April 17—watch the trailer below: