‘SNL’ Host Owen Wilson’s Comeback Continues on Late Night: What to Know

It’s hard to believe, but Owen Wilson has not been seen in a movie released to theaters since Father Figures opened on Christmas 2017. This year, Wilson, 52, emerged from a much-needed break by starring in the Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series Loki, the Amazon sci-fi movie Bliss and the upcoming The French Dispatch. His comeback tour reaches late night this weekend. He is hosting on Saturday, Oct. 2 to start the show’s 47th season at 11:30 p.m. ET. Country star Kacey Musgraves is also performing on SNL for the second time.

Wilson, who was born in Dallas, shot to fame in 1996, when he made Bottle Rocket with his friend Wes Anderson and his brother, Luke Wilson. The movie wasn’t a big success, but it earned him the attention of Ben Stiller, who later cast him in his cult film The Cable Guy. By the time the new century rolled around, Wilson was one of the biggest comedy actors in Hollywood, starring in Zoolander, Wedding Crashers, Starsky & Hutch, Meet the Fockers, Night at the Museum and Marley & Me. He also continued working with Anderson, reuniting with the filmmaker on The French Dispatch.

At the start of the 2010s, it looked like Wilson’s success would continue. He started off the decade starring Midnight in Paris and Hall Pass, but some less successful films were mixed in. He also voiced Lightning McQueen in Disney and Pixar’s Cars films. But between 2017 and 2021, he retreated from public life. With his comeback now underway, here’s a look at what Wilson is up to, faster than you can say, “Wow.”

‘Bliss’

Wilson’s first major film release since Father Figures was Bliss, a science-fiction drama Amazon released in February. The movie co-stars Selma Hayek and features Wilson as Greg Wittle, a recently divorced man who suffers a psychotic break-down after he is fired. He suddenly becomes friends with a homeless woman, played by Hayek, and struggles to learn the difference between fantasy and reality. The movie was written and directed by Mike Cahill (Another Earth). The movie was filmed in 2019 and met with poor reviews when it was finally released.

‘Loki’

Although Wilson had made a handful of guest appearances on television before, Loki featured his first regular role on a TV show. The series is part of the MCU’s Phase Four and introduced the multiverse concept that will play a major role in future shows. Tom Hiddleston returned as the title character, who is taken to the Time Variance Authority that is supposed to be responsible for making sure events don’t stray too far from the set timeline. Wilson plays Mobius M. Mobius, a role that allowed Wilson to bring his brand of humor to the MCU. Loki was renewed for a second season, which Wilson could be involved in.

‘The French Dispatch’

This year will finally see the release of Wes Anderson’s next movie, The French Dispatch, which was supposed to hit theaters in 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Like all Anderson movies, this one features an all-star ensemble cast, with many familiar faces from his past works. Wilson stars as Herbsaint Sazerac, a travel writer at the French Dispatch. Wilson has starred in many of Anderson’s films, and the two shared an Oscar nomination for writing The Royal Tenenbaums.

‘Wedding Crashers 2’ Rumors

Wedding Crashers remains one of the most popular comedies of the 2000s, but it surprisingly never got a sequel. There have been talks about one being made for well over a decade now, but when a Production Weekly notice claimed filming would start in August, the rumors heated up. Sadly, nothing came of that. “Well, we’ve definitely been talking about it. It was one of those movies that people seem to, just like you were saying, really respond to,” Wilson told ComicBook.com in June while promoting Loki. “It’s always great working with Vince [Vaughn] and, yeah, we’ll see what happens. I don’t think it’s definite, but we’ll see.” Wilson also told Collider there was a script and he has talked with Vaughn about it, but nothing is set in stone.

‘The Haunted Mansion’ Casting

One definite confirmation that a Wedding Crashers 2 isn’t happening any time soon came in September when Wilson was cast in a movie based on Disney’s The Haunted Mansion theme park ride. Justin Simien (Dear White People) will direct the film from a script by Katie Dippold. LaKeith Stanfield and Tiffany Haddish will also star in the movie. There is no release date for the project. Wilson also stars in Jennifer Lopez’s upcoming comedy Marry Me, which opens in February 2022.

Discussing his 2007 Suicide Attempt

Wilson is a famously private actor, has never revealed the names of his children or ever really discussing his 2007 suicide attempt. Since he was hospitalized and treated for depression, he rarely ever did interviews except to promote specific projects. In August, Wilson surprisingly discussed his past struggles in an interview with Esquire. He noted how his older brother Andrew Wilson helped him during that dark time in his life. Today, Wilson is feeling “pretty appreciative” of his life, he said.

“I know everything’s kind of up and down, but when you get on one of these waves, you’ve gotta ride it as long as you can. I’ve just felt-yeah. Feeling pretty grateful,” Wilson told Esquire. “Well, grateful’s one of those words that get used all the time. Appreciative. Of, you know, stuff.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.