SNL's Please Don't Destroy Is Working On Something Big In Charlotte
On the May 21, 2022 episode of "Saturday Night Live," which served as that season's finale, Pete Davidson left fans heartbroken with a goodbye message, making his departure from the cast official. By that point in time, Davidson had established himself as one of the show's best-known talents. Fortunately, his absence now leaves room for younger cast members to step up, including recent "SNL" additions like Sarah Sherman and digital shorts trio Please Don't Destroy.
Prior to joining "Saturday Night Live," Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy posted sketches on Twitter and TikTok, where they would reach large numbers of viewers, especially for scripted comedy videos by unestablished names (via Vulture). Of course, nowadays, an impressive online resume is enough to transition into TV stardom, and Please Don't Destroy did just that, jumping from your favorite comic's Twitter feed directly to TV's marquee sketch comedy show.
Due to the more-or-less overnight nature of their ascent, the former comedy Twitter rockstars have little professional work to their name outside of "SNL" — one of Herlihy's only other roles, for example, is a brief cameo in Adam Sandler's "Hubie Halloween." It appears, however, that that's about to change.
The Please Don't Destroy boys are making a feature film
In early August of 2022, a local Charlotte, North Carolina paper called the Charlotte Observer reported spotting Please Don't Destroy in Charlotte's North Davidson (or NoDa) neighborhood. The trio is all on rollerskates in an attached photo, though the article notes that a stunt double took the palace of Martin Herlihy. According to the Charlotte Observer, filming will last through August 30.
While most details about the project Please Don't Destroy is in the midst of filming are under wraps, it was announced in late July that the comedy group will star in a scripted comedy backed by superproducer Judd Apatow (via The Hollywood Reporter). About a week later, its cast was revealed to include former "SNL" cast member Conan O'Brien, current "SNL" cast member Bowen Yang, front-facing camera Twitter video pro Meg Stalter, "The Daily Show" contributor X Mayo, and Nichole Sakura of "Superstore" fame (via Variety).
Since filming is already underway, and scheduled to leave its Charlotte location by August 30, it's quite possible that more information about the yet-to-be-titled Please Don't Destroy movie will become available soon, should its production continue to follow the fast pace it's established thus far.