As he did with his Borat films, Sacha Baron Cohen is said to have made a new Ali G movie in secret. Well, it isn’t a secret now, obviously. Proving that it is still possible to keep a secret in today’s interconnected world of mobile phones and Amstrad Emailers, Sacha Baron Cohen has seemingly managed ... Sacha Baron Cohen has quietly made a new Ali G movie
As he did with his Borat films, Sacha Baron Cohen is said to have made a new Ali G movie in secret. Well, it isn’t a secret now, obviously.
Proving that it is still possible to keep a secret in today’s interconnected world of mobile phones and Amstrad Emailers, Sacha Baron Cohen has seemingly managed to make another film with barely anyone noticing.
As he did with his earlier Borat comedies, Cohen is said to have wrapped production on a new Ali G film – his first since 2002’s Ali G Indahouse. According to Variety, the resulting film is destined for the big screen, though with Cohen’s circle remaining quiet about the whole project, there’s no sign yet as to when it’ll be released or under what title.
Interestingly, there were previously reports in August 2023 that Cohen was about to embark on a new Ali G movie – returning to a character he’d previously retired for several years. The word at the time was that Cohen had played the Staines-based wannabe gangster and rapper again on stage in Australia, and enjoyed the experience so much that it made him think about bringing Ali G back for a new feature. It sounds as though that’s exactly what’s happened.
First appearing on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show in the late 90s, Ali G introduced UK audiences to Cohen’s style of comedy, which involves interviewing unsuspecting celebrities in-character. Over the years, Cohen has interviewed such figures as Donald Trump, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Buzz Aldrin, often using his persona – a clueless suburbanite desperately trying to adopt inner city slang – to tease out his subjects’ foibles and (on occasion) prejudices.
It’s an approach Cohen applied to other films featuring his characters: 2006’s Borat, 2009’s Bruno and 2020’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The latter, co-starring Maria Bakalova, was memorable for a startling moment involving politician and former New York mayor Rudy Guiliani.
Given that Cohen has opted to make his new Ali G project out of the public eye, it’s likely it’ll again feature a similar gonzo interview format to those earlier films. Though given how recognisable the character is, it’s hard to believe that many people would fail to recognise the set-up.
We’ll bring you more on all this as it comes in.
