In 'Lorne' doc, 'SNL' creator doesn't seem keen to retire (yet)

It’s not easy being the comedy king.

It’s not easy being the comedy king. And now “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels is finally ready to let the world see just how hard it is to captain a 50-year-old pop culture institution.

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Michaels, the guarded Canadian producer who launched the live late-night sketch comedy show in 1975, is the subject of a new documentary called “Lorne,” which Focus Features will release in theaters on Friday. (NBCUniversal is the parent company of Focus Features, NBC and NBC News.)

But the film isn’t a swan song for the 81-year-old showrunner. In fact, in one scene in the film, Michaels tells his longtime friend Steve Martin that he can’t retire because he needs to “protect” “SNL.”