The trailer for Ali G: Who Iz I? has been released, showing Sacha Baron Cohen back in his iconic role after two decades. The film marks his directorial debut and is set to hit cinemas on October 23.
Character's return after 20 years
The character first appeared as "the voice of youth" on Channel 4's The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998. In the 2000s, Ali G led Da Ali G Show and starred in the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse.
Now, 23 years after the first film, the sequel's trailer shows Ali G discovering he is to become a father and moving to the US to provide for his family.
Plot and pranks in the trailer
The synopsis reads: "After twenty years spent 'chillin', tokin' and bonin'', Ali G is shocked to discover that his long-term girlfriend, Julie, is 8 months pregnant. Faced with an extra mouth to feed, he gets off his batty and heads to America to reclaim his former glory… but soon encounters adversaries who will ultimately threaten his and his child's very existence."
The trailer shows Julie, played by comic Morgana Robinson, learning she is pregnant. Sacha is seen pranking retired US army general Stewart Rodeheaver and an individual who may be Canadian DJ and producer Deadmau5. Ed Sheeran also features as Ali G's narration states: "the world went to crap: there was Covid, wars and Ed Sheeran".
Filming and fan reactions
During filming, Sacha was spotted in costume at Oxfordshire Zoo and promoted the film at Wimbledon in costume. This is his first time directing, having previously only produced and starred in projects like Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator.
Fan reactions to the trailer are mixed. One commenter on X said: "Watched the new Ali G trailer: unfortunately I just do not think Sacha Baron Cohen is funny anymore, which is tough when he's making a new comedy film. 20 years ago he had me in stitches: the Borat film was only funny if you'd never watched the series, and the sequel sucked."
Another wrote: "Ok now after seeing the actual trailer the new Ali G film doesn't look quite as bad as I thought… It's just another long documentary of him taking the piss out of people and making them horrendously awkward… No one does second hand embarrassment like Sacha."
A third commented: "New Ali G trailer looks funny af. Looking forward to a good comedy. They have been few and far between recently."
