Sacha Baron Cohen Wraps Secretly Shot New Ali G Film
Sacha Baron Cohen has completed a new film featuring Ali G, Variety reports. The production was shot in secret, but its title and release date have not been…
Sacha Baron Cohen has wrapped production on a new Ali G film, a secret-shot project that invites comparison with the new Borat movie. Variety reported that the character is returning to the big screen, while the film’s title and release date remain unconfirmed.
The new production brings back the streetwise interviewer whose hip-hop slang often leaves guests bewildered. Ali G previously appeared in the film Ali G Indahouse, released in 2002, and the character is now set for another cinema outing.
New Borat movie comparisons follow secret production
Cohen filmed the project in secret, as he did with Borat and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. The Guardian reported that filming took place in Oxfordshire and in the US. The report said Baron Cohen had been spotted in character in Oxfordshire the previous summer.
The secrecy is familiar territory for Cohen’s comedy. Variety noted that Borat, released in 2006, and Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, released in 2020, were among his most popular films. He also brought another sketch character, Brüno, to cinemas in 2009.
The new film’s premise has not been formally announced. The Guardian reported that the project is believed to feature interviews with unsuspecting pundits, a format closely associated with Ali G’s character. The publication cited past encounters with Newt Gingrich and Tony Benn.
Details remain scarce. A spokesperson for Cohen declined to comment to Variety, while the Guardian said representatives for the star also declined to comment. Neither report confirmed a distributor, a release date or an official title.
Ali G’s return follows years on television and film
Ali G first appeared on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show before receiving his own program, Da Ali G Show, in the early 2000s. The character gained a following in the US when the show aired on HBO, according to Variety.
The Guardian reported that Ali G’s return was first rumored in 2023 and that the project was reportedly delayed by writers’ and actors’ strikes in the US. The film’s completion now confirms that production has wrapped, though audiences still do not have a date for when it will reach cinemas.
That absence of a release date matters for viewers trying to distinguish a finished film from a confirmed theatrical launch. The reporting establishes that the production is complete; it does not yet establish when or where the movie will be available. For now, the clearest news is the character’s return and the project’s secretive approach.
Ali G’s screen history stretches beyond the original film. The Guardian notes appearances at the 2012 British Comedy Awards, in the television show Ali G: Rezurection and at the 2016 Oscars. Variety traces the character’s origins to Channel 4 and describes him as a streetwise interviewer whose slang often confounds his guests.
Cohen’s wider credits include the Oscar-nominated role of Abbie Hoffman in The Trial of the Chicago 7, as well as Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, The Dictator, Hugo, Les Misérables and the Madagascar films, Variety reported. His work also includes the sketch show Who Is America and the series Disclaimer.
The new film’s eventual audience will encounter a character built around interviews, while the production itself has kept its own details out of view. The Guardian’s report says the title and release date have not been confirmed.
Source: variety.com
