Bill Murray Names Some Names He’d Want to Play Him in SNL 1975

Bill Murray has a few people in mind who he would want to play him in the upcoming SNL 1975 movie about the origins of Saturday Night Live — and they might surprise you.

On the red carpet at the premiere for the Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire on Thursday, Murray opened up when a reporter for Entertainment Tonight asked him about who he would cast to play himself in SNL 1975.

“Who to portray me? Oh, I don’t know. Of all the people that came after me I think I really enjoyed, I like Kenan Thompson. He can play me. Or Bill Hader. Those two,” Murray answered with a wry smile.

Then he threw in a couple other names for good measure.

“Or Kristen Wiig. Any of those three could play me. Or Amy Poehler,” he added.

Bill Murray on the SNL Movie

Murray also discussed some conversations he’s had over the years with SNL 1975 director Jason Reitman, son of original Ghostbusters director Ivan Reitman who died in 2022.

“He’s been picking my brain about the SNL days since he was a grasshopper, so he’s knows a lot of what I know and my friends… he’s a student and a director,” Murray said of the younger Reitman. “I’m blessed that this movie will be really about the original six or seven, the original seven. So I get to be on the sidelines. I think my name gets mentioned, which is good.”

The original seven cast members of Saturday Night Live, nicknamed the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players,” were Murray’s Ghostbusters co-star Dan Aykroyd, as well as Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase.

Murray joined the cast in 1977 to replace original cast member Chevy Chase. He remained a cast member until 1980, but returned many times to host the show, including in 1981, 1987, 1993, and 1999. Some of Murray’s best-known SNL sketches include Bill Murray’s Apology, in which he sat down to apologize to America for not being funny; singing the Star Wars theme as Nick the Lounge Singer, and The Nerds opposite Gilda Radner.

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Back when Season 1 of SNL first began, it had a different name — NBC’s Saturday Night. But the famous “Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!” tagline was always there from the very first episode.

Those who have been officially cast so far in SNL 1975, which will follow the lead-up to the first episode airing on Oct. 11, 1975, include The Fablemans star Gabriel LaBelle as SNL creator Lorne Michaels, Cory Michael Smith (May December) as original Weekend Update anchor Chevy Chase, Matt Wood (Difficult People) as John Belushi, Ella Hunt (Dickinson) as Gilda Radner, Dylan O’Brien (Teen Wolf) as Dan Aykroyd, Lamorne Morris (New Girl) as Garrett Morris, and Kim Matula as Jane Curtin, and Emily Fairn (Black Mirror) as Laraine Newman according to EW.

Cast members that have been announced to play people other than the original seven include Nicholas Podany (Hello Tomorrow) as Billy Crystal; Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby) as Rosie Shuster, SNL writer and former wife of Lorne Michaels; Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) as NBC executive Dick Ebersol; Nicholas Braun (Succession) as Muppets creator Jim Henson; and Tommy Dewey (Casual) as SNL writer Michael O’Donoghue, EW adds.

Deadline also reported that Kaia Gerber (Bottoms) will play Jacqueline Carlin, Chevy Chase’s future wife; Andrew Barth Feldman (No Hard Feelings) will play Neil Levy, cousin of Lorne Michaels and SNL talent coordinator and production assistant, and Finn Wolfhard (Stranger Things) will play an NBC page.

A release date for SNL 1975 has not yet been set.

Main Image: Bill Murray on SNL‘s Weekend Update in 1987. Credit: NBC

Editor’s Note: Corrects Michael O’Donoghue’s title.