In the universe of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s creations, there is a trinity of beloved characters the world has helped make famous: Borat, Bruno and Ali G. Through his HBO series Da Ali G Show, all three of those characters thrived and survived into resurrections through cinematic spinoffs. Now, in the wake of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Cohen looks like he’s about to revive another one of the boys in the name of comedic mayhem.
If the whispers are true, then prepare for the return of Ali G, as seen at the top of this article! Now don’t go thinking this is a new TV or movie project. Sources close to comedy multi-hyphenate who spoke with Variety swear he’s acting in accordance with the 2023 WGA writer’s strike, as well as the SAG-AFTRA strike that’s currently underway. Instead, this report has Sacha Baron Cohen interested in taking Staines’ own rapper/journalist on the road as part of a potential stand-up comedy tour.
Should this alleged return of the star of the 2002 film Ali G: Indahouse be true, it’s definitely something to celebrate. It definitely fits with the history of one of Sacha Baron Cohen’s best characters, as the report cited above also mentioned that he had previously dug this character back out for a gig in 2021. The realm of possibility is there, and so is the occasion, as it was also noted that this year is Ali G’s 25th anniversary. So busting out this blast from the past seems to be perfectly timed.
At the same time, it’s kind of surprising that this sort of news would be broadcast ahead of time. While an Ali G stand up tour isn’t nearly so dangerous that Borat 2 levels of secrecy would be needed to protect him, you’d think that Sacha Baron Cohen would want to keep a tight lid on this for as long as possible. Though perhaps he let this news leak intentionally in the hopes of testing the waters for how people would react.
It would certainly be a jump back to familiar waters, as the last time we heard Cohen’s voice was as part of the cast for Disney/Pixar’s Luca. With recent years seeing the talented interviewer/actor dipping his toe into projects off the beaten path, another reunion with his chaotic side just might be a welcomed prospect. Again, these reports are alleged and not confirmed, so there’s a chance that Sacha Baron Cohen might not be warming up his gang signs just yet.
For now, you can relive Borat’s great glorious return through using your Prime Video subscription to watch Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. And for all things television, head over to our 2023 TV schedule, to see if there are any surprise on the horizon.
