Netflix has acquired the exclusive rights to the first movie written by Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update anchor Colin Jost, The Wrap reports. A coming-of-age story about high school graduates working as lifeguards, Staten Island Summer will star The Good Wife’s Graham Phillips and Mulaney’s Zack Pearlman as the prospective comers-of-age.
The Lorne Michaels-produced movie, which debuts on the streaming service on July 30, is packed with SNL cast members past and present: Bobby Moynihan, Will Forte, Fred Armisen, and Jost’s former co-anchor Cecily Strong all make appearances. (Sketch legend Method Man is also apparently on hand to lend his comedic acumen.)
Staten Island Summer is just the latest step in Netflix’s plan to become the internet’s preferred destination for yucks on demand, having acquired movies from Judd Apatow, Ricky Gervais, and former Saturday Night Live ambassador for cultural understanding Adam Sandler. Jost’s Weekend Update predecessor Amy Poehler is also involved with the service as a star of the upcoming Wet Hot American Summer series. It’s almost like Netflix is trying to revive not just old TV shows and movies, but also that era when seeing a Saturday Night Live star’s name on a VHS cover was a cause for joy, not reflexive pain or fear.