Conan O’Brien, Bowen Yang, and more cast in movie from SNL’s Please Don’t Destroy

The upcoming movie from Saturday Night Live‘s Please Don’t Destroy trio John Higgins, Martin Herlihy, and Ben Marshall will feature some familiar late-night TV faces. Conan O’Brien, SNL’s Bowen Yang, and The Daily Show‘s X Mayo are among the newly announced cast members.

Per Deadline, the movie written by Higgins, Herlihy, and Marshall centers on three childhood friends looking to change their lives by searching for a buried treasure. Judd Apatow is producing, while Saturday Night Live director Paul Briganti will take on the same role.

In addition to O’Brien, Yang, and X Mayo, the film also cast Hacks star Meg Stalter and Superstore alum Nichole Sakura. The untitled movie is currently in production in North Carolina.

Conan O’Brien’s connections to Please Don’t Destroy

On the surface, casting Conan O’Brien in a movie seems unexpected. After all, he’s never played anyone but himself in live-action. If the plot called for a late-night TV host, Please Don’t Destroy could easily have asked SNL alumni Jimmy Fallon or Seth Meyers since they’re still on the air.

Instead, signs suggest that O’Brien will play an original character. Some fans quickly assumed he could play the father of fellow redhead Ben Marshall.

It’s well known that two members of Please Don’t Destroy — Martin Herlihy and John Higgins — are the sons of SNL writers/producers Tim Herlihy and Steve Higgins. Both the elder Herlihy and Higgins worked on SNL beginning in the mid-’90s, just after O’Brien left his gig as a writer.

However, Martin Herlihy has long been the writing partner of Adam Sandler. Sandler and O’Brien developed a strong friendship at SNL. Both Herlihy and O’Brien appear on Sandler’s comedy album They’re All Gonna Laugh At You.

And considering how long Steve Higgins has been at NBC, it’s not hard to imagine how many times he’s crossed paths with Conan O’Brien. Whether it was when O’Brien hosted SNL or during his stint at Late Night, the pair of comedians are surely friendly.

Then, there is O’Brien’s appearance on Saturday Night Live last season. His cameo during John Mulaney’s induction into the Five Timers Club was well-received by SNL fans. If O’Brien hung around the show for the week, then there’s a good chance he met with the Please Don’t Destroy Trio.

Are you looking forward to Please Don’t Destroy’s movie? What role do you imagine Conan O’Brien will play? Share your thoughts below.