Sacha Baron Cohen is back in the tracksuit and tinted shades as the makers of 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' dropped the first trailer for the upcoming mockumentary on 26 August. The film marks the return of Cohen's iconic London rudeboy character after more than two decades, and arrives in cinemas on 23 October.

What the Trailer Reveals

The over two-minute trailer sets up a high-stakes premise: after twenty years of, in Ali G's own words, 'chillin', tokin' and bonin'', the character is blindsided by the news that his long-term girlfriend Julie is eight months pregnant. Faced with the prospect of fatherhood, Ali G heads to America to reclaim his former glory — only to run into adversaries who, the trailer teases, will threaten both his life and his unborn child's.

Sporting a fresh set of dreadlocks while holding on to the US hip-hop and streetwear aesthetic of the 2000s, the character gets a visual refresh without abandoning his signature look. The clip is packed with pranks, comic escapades, and appearances by real, unsuspecting members of the public — the mockumentary format that made the original series a cult phenomenon.

Cohen's Own Announcement

Cohen shared the trailer on Instagram, captioning it in full Ali G voice: 'Yo check out de trailer for me new movie, Ali G: Who Iz I? It got nuff sick tings, but u'll have to watch de hole film to find out if me hactually died makin it. Only in dem cinemas October 23nd. #AliGWhoIzI.' The post drew immediate attention from fans of the original series.

In the trailer, Ali G also offers a sardonic summary of the intervening years: 'the world went to crap: there was Covid, wars and Ed Sheeran' — a line that encapsulates the film's intent to lampoon contemporary culture through the character's blissfully uninformed lens.

The Ali G Legacy

'Ali G Indahouse', released in 2002 and directed by Mark Mylod, was the first film built around Cohen's characters from the Channel 4 series The 11 O'Clock Show and Da Ali G Show. It was followed by Borat, Brüno, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, and now Ali G: Who Iz I? — making this the fifth film in the franchise. Notably, 'Ali G Indahouse' remains the only entry in the series built entirely on a fictional narrative, with none of the real-world prank elements that define the others.

What to Expect

'Ali G: Who Iz I?' returns to the mockumentary format, placing the fictional Ali G in situations with real, unsuspecting people — the formula that made Borat a global sensation. With Cohen reportedly involved in the writing, the film is positioned as both a nostalgia play and a pointed commentary on how much — or how little — the world has changed since Ali G last graced screens.