A few days ago the first look at Sacha Baron Cohen‘s upcoming film The Dictator hit the net. It was a set photo that showed the actor in costume but it was a rather underwhelming first look that didn’t really tell us a whole lot.
Today though, we get the first official photo from the film and it tells us a lot more about the look and style of the movie and what kind of tone they’re going for.
The Dictator, which is directed by Borat and Bruno helmer Larry Charles is hitting theatres next May and will also star Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley. The film is loosely based on Saddam Hussein‘s novel, Zabibah and the King. The plot summary of the book reads as follows:
The book itself is about a benevolent, beloved king who falls in love with a beautiful, victimized girl who was raped by her cruel husband. Believe it or not, it’s a subtle allegory for Iraq and the United States — the king (based, obviously, on Saddam) is the peaceful Iraq, while the cruel, rapist husband is the Gulf War-waging United States.
Sacha Baron Cohen will play “a Hussein-like dictator who gets secretly replaced by a lookalike goat herder and now must find new meaning in a life in New York City.” The photo (seen above), is clearly mocking the former dictator and it’s exactly what I’d expect from Cohen.
As of now, I’m still not entirely sure how this movie is going to turn out. It sounds like material that is right up Cohen’s alley, but for some reason, I’m having a hard time getting excited about it. All I know is that I’m hoping Cohen will provide another overly offensive and incredibly funny film, like his last two were.
What do you think?
(Thanks to The Huffington Post for the photo)
