Sacha Baron Cohen is bringing back Ali G, the controversial character with whom he first shot to fame in the late 1990s.
Variety understands Baron Cohen has been working on a stand-up tour in which Ali G will make an appearance. A source close to Baron Cohen strenuously denied a new movie was in development, however, noting that the writer and actor is strictly abiding by strike rules. “As a SAG and WGA member he is supporting the ongoing strike alongside his fellow writers and actors,” the source told Variety.
In 2021 the comedian resurrected the Staines-based rapper during a secret gig at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Australia. “I just wanted to get on stage and muck around and see what Ali G would be like with a crowd,” he said at the time. “It was really good fun.”
Ali G celebrates his 25th anniversary this year, with Baron Cohen having first appeared as Ali G in 1998 on a sketch series called “The 11 O’Clock Show,” which was broadcast on British network Channel 4. His skits, which saw Ali G conduct absurd interviews with public figures including politicians and judges, quickly saw the comedian dubbed the “voice of youth,” and the character became a breakout hit.
In the early 2000s Baron Cohen developed a standalone series called “Da Ali G Show” which saw him return as the eponymous character as well as introduce two new faux journalists: Borat, a Kazakh reporter apparently unfamiliar with the West, and Austrian fashionista Bruno.
The series ran for three seasons, with the latter two being picked up HBO in the U.S., and all three characters went on to have their own spin-off movies, including “Ali G Indahouse,” “Bruno” and “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”
In 2020, Borat was resurrected for a second feature, “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”