Booyakasha! Sacha Baron Cohen has completed a new Ali G movie

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- Sacha Baron Cohen has completed production on a new Ali G movie, 24 years after Ali G Indahouse (2002), with filming in Oxfordshire and the US
- The project was first rumored in 2023 but reportedly delayed by US writers' and actors' strikes; representatives for Baron Cohen declined to comment
- Ali G first appeared on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998 as the "voice of da yoof" before getting his own show in the early 2000s
- Baron Cohen declared both Ali G and Borat retired in 2007, yet Borat Subsequent Moviefilm still landed in 2020, and Ali G resurfaced at the 2012 British Comedy Awards and 2016 Oscars
- The new film was shot in secret and is believed to feature interviews with unsuspecting pundits, mirroring the guerrilla style of Borat and 2009's Brüno
- Ladies First, Baron Cohen's most recent Netflix movie, was poorly received by critics, making this Ali G return his first major project since that flop
Why it matters: Baron Cohen is pivoting back to the guerrilla-interview format and signature character that built his career after the critical failure of his Netflix outing Ladies First. The 24-year gap since the last Ali G film makes this a brand-revival play, not a continuation, and the secret-production approach signals he is betting on shock value over scripted comedy.




