Lorne Michaels, the legendary creator of “Saturday Night Live,” has allowed Morgan Neville behind-the-scenes of his television empire. The resulting film, “Lorne,” is getting released by Focus Features on April 17.
Neville, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, is no stranger to TV icons, having directed “Won’t You Be My Neighbor,” an acclaimed look at Fred Rogers. He also executive produced last year’s “SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night,” a Peacock series about the history of Michaels’ sketch show. Focus, which shares a corporate parent in Comcast with NBC, the network behind “SNL,” has worldwide rights on the film, and Universal Pictures International will handle international distribution for the studio.
The documentary boasts archival material, as well as interviews with the show’s cast members and writers including Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph, John Mulaney, Andy Samberg, Conan O’Brien and Chris Rock. In addition to “SNL,” Michaels is the producer of “The Tonight Show” and also produced movies such as “Wayne’s World,” “Mean Girls” and “The Three Amigos!,” which he co-wrote. In addition, Michaels produced “The Kids in the Hall,” another influential sketch show.
Neville’s credits include “20 Feet From Stardom,” which won the Academy Award for best documentary, and “Piece by Piece” and “Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain,” both of which were released by Focus. The indie studio also released “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” Neville recently directed “Steve (Martin) a Documentary in 2 Pieces,” which premiered on Apple TV to strong reviews.
Michaels has often preferred to operate away from the spotlight, but he has started to allow longer glimpses of his personal and professional life. The TV mogul participated in Susan Morrison’s 2025 biography, “Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live,” granting the author multiple interviews, as well as access to the production of the show.