The secret Sacha Baron Cohen Ali G movie has been titled, now known as Ali G: Who Iz I?, and it’s being released by Amazon MGM Studios in theaters on Oct. 23. The pic reps Cohen’s feature directorial debut.
Good news for cinemas it’s another wide theatrical release this fall after J.J. Abrams Warner Bros’ The Great Beyond left November for October 2027. Ali G: Who Iz I? will go up against Warner Bros/DC’s Clayface and Sony’s Taika Waititi directed, Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams starring Klara and the Sun.
The movie reps a reteam for the 3x Oscar nominated Cohen and Amazon MGM Studios who handled his Borat sequel during Covid, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which was released on Prime in October 2020 when cinemas were largely shuttered. That pic, which saw Cohen’s Kazakh character Borat literally fooling former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani, landed two Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Bulgarian actress Maria Baklava.
The news that Cohen was making another secret, man-on-the-street punking pic leaked recently with the actor showing up in full Ali G rapper regalia at Wimbledon.
The British hip-hop character, Ali G, who has interviewed the likes of Donald Trump (before he was president) and UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali first debuted on Channel 4’s The 11 O’Clock Show before starring in his own show Da Ali G Show in the early 2000s, which ultimately aired on HBO where Cohen gained traction. Ali G also starred in the 2002 feature All G Indahouse which came out before Cohen blasted off on the big screen in 2006’s Borat ($262.5M). Ali G Indahouse didn’t receive a domestic release, rather made $23M-plus abroad, the bulk from the UK.
