Sacha Baron Cohen Returns as ‘Ali G’: Trailer Released for Feature Film Ali G: Who Am I?
According to CinemaDrame News Agency, Sacha Baron Cohen’s projects rarely generate hype until the very last moment due to intense secrecy throughout production. However, when they finally drop, they make a deep, immediate impact on pop culture. This was true for his recent works like Showtime’s Who Is America? and 2020’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm—two projects in which the acclaimed comedian successfully duped some of America’s most controversial political figures into absurd comedy sketches that went viral worldwide. Now, Amazon MGM Studios hopes to strike gold once again with Ali G: Who Am I?, a feature film marking a return to Baron Cohen’s comedic roots.
Officially announced in July and set for an October theatrical release, the feature film sees Sacha Baron Cohen suit up once more in his famous tracksuit as “Ali G”—the iconic character that launched his career.
Baron Cohen broke the news on Instagram, writing in the character’s signature style: “They finally made a doco about me. Not like that rubbish one about penguins, dis one’s got at least double the wild life. Ali G: Who Am I? drops Oct 23rd, whatever dat means!”
Baron Cohen first introduced the fictional character Ali G in the late 1990s on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show—a brazen British youth clumsily imitating elements of hip-hop and British African-Caribbean culture while conducting sharp street interviews. He further developed the persona on The Da Ali G Show, which launched in 2000. That show provided the launching pad for two of his other renowned creations: Kazakhstani propaganda reporter Borat Sagdiyev and fashion commentator Brüno Gehard. The series ran from 2000 to 2004, with episodes rebroadcast in 2014 on FX under the title Ali G: Rezurection. While Baron Cohen has occasionally reprised the character for award show appearances over the past decade, Who Am I? marks his first full-length standalone project centered on Ali G in over twenty years.
The character previously headlined the 2002 feature film Ali G Indahouse, directed by Mark Mylod. However, for Who Am I?, Sacha Baron Cohen takes the helm himself, making this project his feature directorial debut.
Amazon MGM’s Ali G: Who Am I? will be released in theaters on Friday, October 23.
