Martin Short near pilot with ‘Saturday Night Live’s’ John Mulaney, Lorne Michaels

Could Martin Short be teaming up soon with a pair of people he is familiar with from “Saturday Night Live”? Based on what we are hearing now, it is looking like a definite possibility.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the former “SCTV” star, who hosted the sketch comedy show this past December, is close to joining a pilot from comedian and “SNL” writer John Mulaney that is loosely based on his life. In this series, Short would play his boss, a game-show host who Mulaney’s character was tasked with trying to write jokes for on a regular basis. Lorne Michaels is executive-producing the project, and NBC may be looking for a new project with him following the end of “30 Rock” and the likely dissolution of “Up All Night” after creative turmoil behind the scenes.

The one piece of irony in this casting announcement is that Mulaney is actually not credited as a writer for the “SNL” episode hosted by Short late last year; some of the episodes he is credited for this season include those hosted by Christina Applegate and Adam Levine. Mulaney is extremely active in standup comedy, and had a special air last year on Comedy Central. Casting him in a role here seems perfect for NBC, who likes to take gambles on up-and-coming comedians (whether it be Jerry Seinfeld on one end of the spectrum and Whitney Cummings on the other, at least in terms of critical reception), and they also like to support people associated with “SNL” in any way they can.

What do you think about the idea behind this show? Be sure to share some of your thoughts below, and you can see what NBC is currently planning for “Up All Night” alum Maya Rudolph over at the link here.

Photo: NBC