Sacha Baron Cohen is reportedly bringing back his iconic character Ali G, according to a recent report from Variety.
Baron Cohen denies any movie development news
The report mentions that Baron Cohen has been working on a stand-up tour recently and that Ali G will make an appearance in that tour in some fashion. Sources close to the actor denied that a new movie was in development, saying that the actor has been strictly abiding by the rules of the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“As a SAG and WGA member he is supporting the ongoing strike alongside his fellow writers and actors,” the source told Variety.
Variety also notes that in 2021, Baron Cohen revived the character during a secret show at The Comedy Store in Sydney, Australia. Baron Cohen commented on the appearance at the time, saying that he just wanted to know what it would be like to have Ali G around again with a crowd. “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.”
The report comes as Ali G is celebrating the 25th anniversary of the character’s first appearance, which came during a 1998 episode of the satirical late-night British television comedy series The 11 O’Clock Show. As Ali G, Baron Cohen would interview a variety of celebrities, often attempting to either embarrass the interviewee or trying to get them to agree to something that is inaccurate.
After becoming popular following his 1998 appearances, Baron Cohen developed a television series, Da Ali G Show, based on the character. The series premiered in 2000 and originally aired in the UK before appearing on HBO in the U.S. for its final two seasons. That series also saw Baron Cohen debut two of his other more iconic characters, Borat and Bruno, both of whom had films made about them in the following years.
