Willem Dafoe all set to join cast of 'SNL 1975'

WASHINGTON: Oscar-nominated actor Willem Dafoe is set to join the ensemble cast of Jason Reitman's directorial film 'SNL 1975' (working title), which is based on the origin story of the popular late-night show 'Saturday Night Live', reported Deadline.

Reitman and Gil Kenan penned the script. Dafoe will play David Tebet, who was VP Talent Relations at NBC when SNL launched.

On October 11, 1975, a furious group of young comedians and writers transformed television forever. SNL 1975 is the actual account of what transpired behind the scenes that night, leading up to the debut episode of NBC's Saturday Night Live. It captures the turmoil and romance of a nearly-failed revolution, ticking down the minutes in real time until the famed words, "Live from New York, it's Saturday night!"

The screenplay is based on lengthy interviews done by Reitman and Kenan with all of the current cast members, writers, and crew. Reitman, Kenan, Jason Blumenfeld, Erica Mills, and Peter Rice are the producers.

Dafoe has more than 150 film credits spanning nearly 45 years and has four career Oscar noms -- Best Actor for Eternity's Gate (2018) and Supporting Actor for The Florida Project (2017), Shadow of the Vampire (2000) and Platoon (1986).

He recently starred in last year's Best Picture-nominated Poor Things; with Asteroid City, his fifth collaboration with Wes Anderson; and lent his voice to the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's Oscar winner 'The Boy and The Heron'. He next will be seen in Tim Burton's 'Beetlejuice Beetlejuice'; Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Kinds of Kindness', Isaiah Saxon's fantasy epic 'The Legend of Ochi', Olmo Schnabel's 'Pet Shop Days'; Patricia Arquette's 'Gonzo Girl'; and Robert Eggers' 'Nosferatu', marking his third collaboration with the director. He recently wrapped lensing Nadia Latif's 'The Man in My Basement' and soon will begin shooting 'American Nails', his eighth collaboration with Abel Ferrara, according to Deadline.