In the trailer for “Lorne,” a documentary about the life of Lorne Michaels, the “Saturday Night Live” founder compares “funny” to pornography: he knows it when he sees it.
“I was probably too driven to be a hippie,” Michaels says in the trailer. “What I wanted was a voice in the culture, and ‘SNL’ was that vehicle.”
The trailer for the Focus Features documentary includes a number of “Saturday Night Live” and comedy legends, including Kristen Wiig, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Mike Myers, Sarah Sherman and Conan O’Brien.
“Lorne is the ultimate show business survivor,” O’Brien says in the trailer. “He’s still here, and 100 executives are not.”
“Lorne” offers “an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes glimpse at the man who built the inimitable empire of comedy, shaping television and culture for generations,” a synopsis reads. “The documentary features exclusive footage, archival treasures and candid interviews with the show’s most iconic cast members and writers.”
Just don’t expect the documentary to give you too many answers about the sketch comedy trailblazer.
“All of life is reinvention,” Michaels adds in the new footage. “So to be understood? Not gonna happen.”
“Lorne” is directed by Morgan Neville, the filmmaker behind Fred Rogers doc “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” and, more recently, the Pharrell Williams LEGO documentary “Piece by Piece.” Neville won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 2014 for “20 Feet from Stardom.”
The documentary comes on the heels of the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live,” with the show now on its 51st season. A narrative film about Michaels and the first episode of “SNL,” titled “Saturday Night” and directed by Jason Reitman, released just before the 50th season.
“Lorne” will be released in theaters on April 17, 2026.
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