Saturday Night Live has set a return date, announcing the season 51 premiere date. And with it comes speculation on who will host and reports about potential cast changes under Lorne Michaels.
SNL returns to NBC on October 4. It's slightly later than season 50's late September start date, but falls in line with the premiere dates for past seasons. With just over two months until showtime, Lorne Michaels has a few decisions to make regarding the cast.
According to Deadline, Michaels has yet to make any decisions about new cast members. The outlet reports that the first round of applications for new performers came prior to July 4. Sources also tell Deadline that Michaels is focused on hiring "character-driven performers" rather than stand-up comedians.
While that could change based on who submits material or gets called in for an audition, it's a good sign for Saturday Night Live's future. More original characters suggest less dependency on celebrity and political impressions. Characters like Lisa from Temecula and Domingo gave SNL viral hits; bringing in character performers increases the chances of that happening more frequently.
Sources also indicate that some cast changes are expected prior to the season 51 premiere date. However, don't look for a massive shake-up like when eight performers left following season 47.
After admitting to "sketch fatigue," Heidi Gardner dropped a hint that she's sticking around for at least another year. Bowen Yang also pushed back against rumors he was done at Studio 8H. The same goes for Mikey Day, who said he wants to stay as long as possible. And as much as Colin Jost and Michael Che tease their departure, neither "Weekend Update" anchor has officially announced an exit.
On the other side, limited screentime for Michael Longfellow makes him a candidate to be replaced. Chloe Fineman's schedule outside of Saturday Night Live has been booking up more and more lately, possibly signaling she's ready to move on. Featured players Emil Wakim and Jane Wickline also struggled to get consistent momentum during season 50.
No host has been named for the season 51 premiere, but that usually doesn't happen until much closer to the start date. However, it makes it a little easier to guess who Lorne Michaels could invite based on the fall movie release schedule.
Season 51 starts the day after The Smashing Machine hits theaters. The sports biopic features Dwayne Johnson under Benny Safdie's direction. The film may be a dramatic turn for Johnson, but a return to SNL would be fitting.
Jared Leto leads TRON: Ares debuts on October 10. The Oscar-winner could make his SNL debut, but a string of allegations from earlier this year should dissuade Michaels from tapping the actor.
Other actors with releases near the SNL season 51 premiere include Channing Tatum (Roofman), Ayo Edebiri, Julia Roberts, and Andrew Garfield (After the Hunt), and Jennifer Lopez and Diego Luna (Kiss of the Spider Woman).
There's also a history of SNL reaching back into the summer to pick a host for the season premiere. Superman stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan could be an option, as could be Fantastic Four star Pedro Pascal.
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