Ali G Returns in First Trailer for 'Who Iz I?'

The first full trailer for Ali G: Who Iz I? has been released online, revealing the escapades and pranks – and their victims – that will appear in the second feature-length comedy starring the academically challenged west Staines rudeboy character created and played by Sacha Baron Cohen.

Sporting new dreadlocks but still wearing the clothing favoured by young white Britons copying US hip-hop and Black streetwear fashions in the 00s, Ali is back to contend with the issues of the day – as well as the pregnancy of his long-term girlfriend, Julie. In the 20 years since the character has been away, he says that "the world went to crap: there was Covid, wars and Ed Sheeran".

The trailer gives glimpses of pranks played on retired US army general Stewart Rodeheaver, and someone who may be the Canadian DJ and producer Deadmau5 at a music festival.

A Character with a Long History

Ali G first appeared on the UK comedy programme The 11 O'Clock Show in 1998, then in three series of Da Ali G Show in the early 00s, during which he interviewed unsuspecting politicians, academics, public figures and celebrities. He asked Buzz Aldrin if man will ever walk on the sun (perhaps during winter when it's cold) and pitched a business idea for "ice-cream gloves" to Donald Trump. Da Ali G Show also featured the first appearances of Baron Cohen's other best-known characters: the Kazakh TV reporter Borat Sagdiyev, and Brüno, an obtuse Austrian fashionista.

In 2002, Ali G starred in the feature-length Ali G Indahouse, a scripted story without any mockumentary elements or pranks that received a mixed critical reception but was a domestic success, earning more than £17m at the UK box office. The first Borat film, however, was an international hit in 2006, making more than $260m (£200m) globally.

Baron Cohen claimed to have retired both Ali G and Borat in 2007, citing the characters' popularity and the concomitant difficulty of finding unaware new subjects to interview or prank. However, Borat returned in a 2020 sequel that included an interview with Rudy Giuliani. Who Iz I? becomes the fifth film featuring characters from Da Ali G Show, and there are no rumours of a sequel to the 2009 film Brüno.

A New Direction for Ali G

The new clip opens with Baron Cohen's famous poser character reintroducing himself after 20 long years. "In that time the world went to crap," he deadpans. "There was Covid. Wars. And Ed Sheeran. But I's gonna get back on top with a brand new ting called a documentary."

The clip is stuffed with exactly the kind of nonsense we've all come to expect from a Baron Cohen flick. In one scene, a guy walks in on Ali G taking a dump, and Ali convinces him to stick around while he finishes. In another, Ali confuses his partner's positive pregnancy test for a vape, tries to hit it, and quips, "Taste of piss."

It also finds Ali G updating his old interview shtick for the age of viral videos and podcasts. In one TikTok-style clip, Ali interviews retired Army General C. Stewart Rodeheaver (yes, a real guy) about Iran while subjecting him to ASMR stunts like spraying shaving gel onto the microphones.

While Baron Cohen is famous for these kinds of mockumentary, prank-filled flicks — like with Borat and Brüno — this marks the first time he's made such a movie as Ali G. The character previously anchored a 2002 film, Ali G Indahouse, but that was a rare scripted feature in which Ali G goes from a bumbling, wannabe gangster to a member of the British parliament. That said, the mockumentary style of Who Iz I? is plenty in line with Baron Cohen's hit series, Da Ali G Show, which featured deranged interviews with unsuspecting subjects.

Release

Ali G: Who Iz I? is scheduled for release in cinemas on 23 October.