The secret is out. Sacha Baron Cohen has officially revealed that his long rumored Ali G film is titled ‘Ali G: Who Iz I?’ and is heading to theatres on October 23, 2026 through Amazon MGM Studios. The announcement came on July 22 and confirmed what many had suspected for weeks that one of comedy’s most beloved and provocative characters is making his return to the big screen for the first time in over two decades. What makes this particularly noteworthy is that ‘Who Iz I?’ also marks Cohen’s debut as a feature film director.
Sacha Baron Cohen has been working on the project quietly and in secret for the past few years, shooting in various cities without any official announcement. Word began leaking in recent weeks that production had wrapped, and the whole thing was seemingly confirmed when Cohen made a surprise appearance in character as Ali G at the 2026 Wimbledon finals earlier this month. A video filmed from the crowd showed the character explaining to anyone who would listen that tennis is “like a crap version of ping-pong”. That was the moment most people knew for certain that Ali G was back in business. Two weeks later came the official confirmation.
Ali G is a satirical character Sacha Baron Cohen created in the late 1990s. He presents as a self-styled hip-hop journalist from Staines, England, full of bravado and London street slang, who conducts unscripted interviews with real public figures, politicians, academics, celebrities who are not in on the joke. The character worked because Cohen could sit across someone serious and important and ask questions so absurd that his subjects either played along in confusion or revealed something genuinely uncomfortable about themselves. Among those he interviewed in character was a young Donald Trump, who he asked about building a wall. The results, as ever, were revealing.
Ali G first appeared on Channel 4’s ‘Da Ali G Show’ in 2000, which quickly crossed over to HBO in the United States and built a devoted global audience. The show also introduced two other Cohen creations – Kazakh journalist Borat Sagdiyev and Austrian fashion reporter Brüno Gehard, who would both go on to headline their own successful films.
Ali G made his feature film debut in ‘Ali G Indahouse’ in 2002, directed by Mark Mylod. The film was a broad comedy that sent the character to the British Parliament, mixing fictional plot with the satirical energy of the TV show. It was a hit in the UK and has remained a beloved comedy for fans of the character. That was 24 years ago. ‘Who Iz I?’ is the long-awaited return and this time, Sacha Baron Cohen is directing it himself.
All of Cohen’s previous character-driven films had other directors at the helm. Larry Charles directed both ‘Borat’ in 2006 and ‘Bruno’ in 2009, as well as the Oscar-winning sequel ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ in 2020. ‘Who Iz I?’ changes that entirely, Cohen is writing, producing and directing the film himself. It is his feature directorial debut, and it says something about how personally invested he is in this particular project that he has taken full creative control of it.
While Ali G was the first of Cohen’s iconic characters, it was Borat who became the global phenomenon. The original ‘Borat’ in 2006 was a critical and commercial sensation that changed the conversation around hidden camera comedy and political satire. The sequel, ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’, won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2021. Both were directed by Larry Charles. ‘Bruno’ in 2009 completed the original trilogy of character films. Now, with ‘Who Iz I’, Ali G joins Borat as a character with a second bite at the big screen.
Plot details for the film remain completely under wraps. Amazon MGM and Cohen have not revealed anything about the story. What is confirmed is the title, the release date, and the fact that Ali G is finally back. October 23, 2026 is going to be a big one.
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