Saturday Night Live writers Ben Marshall, John Higgins and Martin Herlihy are getting a boost from comedy luminaries for their feature debut.
Conan O’Brien, SNL favorite Bowen Yang, Hacks breakout Meg Stalter, former The Daily Show writer X Mayo and Superstore alum Nichole Sakura have joined the untitled buddy comedy from Universal Studios. The film centers on three childhood friends who head off to a nearby mountain in search of gold treasure rumored to be buried there. Filming began earlier this month in North Carolina, with SNL‘s Paul Briganti directing.
Marshall, Higgins and Herlihy wrote the script and star.The men behind the project rose to prominence as the comedy trio Please Don’t Destroy. The trio went from making viral sketch videos to becoming writers on SNL to a breakout moment on SNL in October with a sketch lampooning hard seltzers.
O’Brien, one of the most recognizable faces in late night TV history, counts writing on SNL as among his early credits. He concluded his TBS show Conan last year, capping 28 years as a late night host. He currently hosts the podcast Conan O’Brien needs a friend, and his digital brand, Team Coco, recently was sold to Sirius XM. O’Brien is repped by WME, Pariah and 42West.
Yang broke out on SNL and recently starred in the Hulu film Fire Island and has the Universal film Bros due out in September. Yang is represented by UTA, 3 Arts and attorney Isaac Dunham.
Stalter became a favorite on HBO’s Hacks thanks to her portrayal as assistant from hell Kayla. She is developing the series Church Girls for HBO Max. Stalter is represented by UTA, Range Media Partners and Jackoway Austen.
X Mayo earned an Emmy nomination in 2020 as a writer on The Daily Show and is among the stars of the NBC sitcom American Auto. As an actor, she also appeared in The Farewell. X Mayo is repped by UTA, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
Sakura stars in the Hulu comedy Maggie, which debuted earlier this month. She is best known for her work in Superstore her credits also include Shameless. Sakura is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, Gersh and Ginsberg Daniels Kallis.
Judd Apatow, who has an overall deal with Univeral, produces via Apatow Productions. Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller is also producing. Universal has its untitled comedy set for Aug. 18, 2023.