Back in July, reports began emerging that Sascha Baron Cohen had been reviving his Ali G character for an upcoming movie that he’d been filming in secret.
The character — introduced to American viewers via the 2000-2004 HBO comedy series “Da Ali G Show” — is making an official comeback now that the first trailer for that project has just dropped.
‘Ali G: Who Iz I?
Amazon MGM StudiosAs Deadline reports, “Ali G: Who Iz I” will be released next month.
Details of the new movie have been kept tightly under wraps until the release of the trailer for the upcoming film, which marks Cohen’s directorial debut.
As Deadline reminds, Ali G was first introduced on U.K. television, initially appearing on Channel 4’s “The 11 O’Clock Show” in 1998 before “Da Ali G Show” debuted in 2000.
The character — a not-too-bright, rap-obsessed Brit — hilariously interviewed celebrities who didn’t realize they were the butt of the joke, including the likes of late “60 Minutes” curmudgeon Andy Rooney and astronaut Buzz Aldrin (whom Ali G continually called “Buzz Lightyear”).
Hilarious Havoc
The new movie features a return for Cohen, who resurrects the character to conduct more boneheaded interviews, hilariously creating havoc wherever he goes.
Among the people assailed by Ali G are a pregnant woman and her doctor, and U.S. Brigadier General C. Stewart Rodeheaver, while the trailer promises “the very latest TikTok trends.”
Live at Wimbledon
While rumors were rife that Cohen had been filming something in secret, the cat was out of the bag when he showed up at Wimbledon last month in full Ali G attire.
On July 12, social media began blowing up with reports of tennis fans at Wimbledon bumping into Cohen in character as Ali G.
At the time, Page Six confirmed that was indeed Cohen in costume, attired in a white jacket reading “Official Wimbledon Ganja Dealer” on the back.
A Long History
In “Da Ali G Show,” Cohen also introduced other now-familiar characters, Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev and Austrian fashion maven Brüno Gehard.
After “Da Ali G Show” concluded its run, Cohen focused on Borat for what became a hugely successful movie, 2006’s “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” He then followed that by focusing on his other character in the 2009 feature “Brüno.”
Ali G was the focus of an earlier movie, 2002’s “Ali G Indahouse,” which was a scripted comedy, unlike the mockumentary format of his subsequent projects. After that, Cohen largely moved on from the character.
He has, however, resurrected Ali G from time to time over the years. For example, Cohen appeared in full Ali G regalia when he appeared at the British Comedy Awards in 2012.
He also revived Ali G for a British TV series in 2014, “Ali G: Rezurection.” However, that series was essentially a rehash that repackaged sketches from “Da Ali G Show,” with Cohen returning to the role to record new introductions.
“Ali G: Who Iz I” will hit theaters on October 23.
