If you thought we’d seen the last of Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Borat, think again. Earlier this month, it was reported that not only was Borat 2 on the way, it had already been shot! Well, today brings word that rather than be a traditional theatrical release like its 2006 predecessor, it’s instead heading to the streaming realm.
According to Deadline, Amazon Studios has acquired the worldwide rights to Borat 2. The plan is to premiere the sequel on Amazon Prime Video in late October, right before Election Day in the United States. Given how precarious the theatrical business still is during the health crisis, not to mention that Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, the studio that delivered the first Borat movie, it makes sense why Borat 2 set up shop on a streaming platform not affiliated with the primarily family-friendly Mouse House.
While a lot of movies had to shut down production earlier this year due to the pandemic, Borat 2 was able to start shooting once restrictions eased up, with Sacha Baron Cohen working with a “minimal crew.” The actor and his team filmed in both various parts of the United States and internationally, and it was previously mentioned that Borat 2 has already been screened for “a select few industry types.”
Deadline’s article also mentioned that Sacha Baron Cohen “risked his life multiple times to shoot the scenes in this film.” According to the outlet’s sources, this included Cohen wearing a bulletproof vest on two different shooting days, while other days presented their own risks and dangers. Needless to say that Borat 2 had a much quicker turnaround than the original Borat, so it’ll be interesting to see how this latest outing compares to the eponymous Kazakhstani journalist’s last cinematic appearance.
After the first Borat movie came out and took the world by storm, Sacha Baron Cohen announced that he was retiring the character, who he’d also played on Da Ali G Show. However, he later reprised Borat Sagdiyev on a couple Jimmy Kimmel Live! appearances to promote projects like Grimsby and Who Is America?, and evidently Cohen felt now was the right time for his character to star in another movie.
Just like before, Borat 2 will see Sacha Baron Cohen going in disguise to interview real-life people and cause all sorts of uncomfortable situations. However, there’s a twist on the premise, as the sequel reportedly sees Borat disguising himself because he thinks he’s become too recognizable after the success of his first movie. In other words, it’s “Cohen playing Borat playing Cohen.”
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more important updates concerning Borat 2. In the meantime, keep track of the movies that are supposed to play in theaters in the near future with our 2020 release schedule and 2021 release schedule.
