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“Jury Duty” will be back for Season 2 sooner than we think.

The Amazon Freevee comedy, which became a surprise hit for the platform and migrated over to Prime Video after the sibling streamer’s shuttering, already produced its next installment, according to media reports.

Amazon representatives declined to comment for the story.

The new season is believed to be set at a corporate retreat instead of a courtroom, according to a report from Variety. Filming took place in Los Angeles and Deadline reported the story will center around a David vs. Goliath theme.

“Jury Duty” was created by Lee Eisenberg, and Gene Stupnitsky. Season 1 followed breakout star Ronald Gladden in a documentary-style journey following his time as a juror, until it is revealed that the proceedings were fake from the start.

The series is executive produced by the pair alongside David Bernad, Ruben Fleischer (“Superstore”), Nicholas Hatton, Cody Heller (“Dummy”), Todd Schulman,...

With the exception of a few soap operas and public affairs programs, no TV show has been on the air longer than NBC’s Saturday Night Live, which will embark on its 50th season Sept. 28. And as we approach the 76th Emmys, which will take place just a few weeks before that, it is the most celebrated show in the history of that event. Indeed, SNL holds the records for most Emmy nominations with 341 (Game of Thrones is second with 159) and wins with 89 (GoT is second with 59). And Lorne Michaels, its creator and overseer for all but five of its seasons, holds the record for most Emmy noms for an individual with 106 (Sheila Nevins is second with 77) and has racked up the second most wins for an individual with 21 (behind only Nevins’ 31).

Given that history, it may be hard to feel sorry for SNL and Michaels when it comes to the Emmys — but this year,...

Showtime’s satirical thriller “The Curse,” created by stars Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and also starring Emma Stone, has exclusively shared its Emmy submission plans with Variety.

The three multi-hyphenates will have more than one chance at recognition across various categories for producing, acting, directing, writing and editing.

“The Curse” explores the tumultuous lives of a married couple (Fielder and Stone), who encounter a string of misfortunes while filming an HGTV series in New Mexico. Their challenges are compounded by a dubious “curse” and a manipulative producer (Safdie), which together threaten both the show and their relationship.

Stone, fresh off her second best actress Oscar win for her role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things,” is eyeing her first Emmy nod. She seeks recognition for her portrayal of Whitney, the co-host of the couple’s show about eco-friendly homes. Additionally, Stone is vying for a guest comedy actress nod for...

While doing press for “Joker,” Todd Phillips talked about why he stopped making comedy movies like “The Hangover” trilogy. The director told Vanity Fair, “Go try to be funny nowadays with this woke culture,” said Phillips “There were articles written about why comedies don’t work anymore — I’ll tell you why, because all the fucking funny guys are like, ‘Fuck this shit, because I don’t want to offend you.’”

The quote, which got a great deal of play in the media and social media, ticked off a number of people, including comedy writer and director Bri LeRose, who tweeted, “I will only watch this coward’s joker movie if Vera Drew re-edits it.”

“Bri then Venmo’d me 12 dollars,” said Drew, when she was a guest on an upcoming episode of the Toolkit podcast discussing the origin of her new film “The People’s Joker.” “I’m not saying...

If you're just waking up to the saga of "The People's Joker," it starts out the way most comic book characters do — with a tragic origin story. After working as an editor for shows like "On Camera," "Comedy Bang! Bang!," and earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for "Who is America?," Vera Drew successfully crowdfunded her fair use feature directorial debut, in which she utilizes the iconography of arguably one the most recognizable DC Comics world — Batman and the Joker — to tell a queer, autobiographical coming-of-age Joker origin story that doubles as a massive middle finger to Lorne Michaels and the conventional, corporate comedy landscape. "The People's Joker" enjoyed a single screening at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival before it was pulled due to "rights issues."

Fortunately, Drew refused to go down without a fight, and after proving the film is protected under parody law, the Lgbtqia+-focused distribution company...

Typically, saying you're more excited about something other than the new Lady Gaga project is fair grounds for having your queer card taken away, but an exception can be made in the case of "The People's Joker." Indeed, as intrigued as I am to watch Gaga's Harley Quinn sing and dance her way through a toxic romance with Joaquin Phoenix's Clown Prince of Crime in Todd Phillips' "Joker: Folie à Deux" (a sentence I couldn't have imagined writing after watching Phillips' original Scorsesean DC drama for the first time back in 2019), it's Vera Drew's trans-coming-of-age DC Comics superhero parody that has my current attention.

Drew, similar to her fellow trans comedienne Harper Steele (the subject of Will Ferrell's acclaimed upcoming Netflix documentary "Will & Harper"), has quietly worked on some of the more memorable and daring comedic offerings of the past decade. In addition to editing Scott Aukerman...

Despite the demand for a second season of "Who Is America?", Sacha Baron Cohen believes it would be "impossible" due to the challenge of replicating the element of surprise that made the first season successful. Showtime executives express enthusiasm about reviving the show, noting its controversial nature and high viewership. The possibility of a return is still open, with ongoing discussions about the show's future. Cohen's proven ability to evolve and surprise, as demonstrated in his recent portrayal of Borat, keeps hope alive for fans longing for more of his unique brand of satire. The door is not completely closed for a triumphant return of "Who Is America?".

Who Is America?, a satirical television series created by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, first graced screens in July 2018 and was released to huge fanfare, but Cohen thinks season 2 is "impossible." The show quickly became a sensation for its bold and controversial...

“Jury Duty” is a reality show. Or is it a sitcom? A documentary? An elaborate prank?

How about all of the above?

One of 2023’s defining breakouts, the Amazon Freevee series is the crown jewel of an ascendant hybrid genre sometimes referred to as docu-comedy. Even the people who made the show aren’t sure how to classify it. Director Jake Syzmanski and co-creator Lee Eisenberg say they’ve never heard that term. Eisenberg suggested hidden-camera comedy, but that’s not really accurate either, as everyone involved knew they were being filmed. Robyn Adams, a producer, used “outlined improv.” Whatever nomenclature best applies, this increasingly common format has enjoyed a banner year, with “Jury Duty,” Peacock’s “Paul T. Goldman,” BBC and Netflix’s “Cunk on Earth,” and HBO’s “How To with John Wilson” picking up where the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen and Nathan Fielder left off.

“There was a big worry about,...

Nicholas Hatton is no stranger to producing unusual projects. He’s a frequent collaborator with Sacha Baron Cohen, after all, working with him on the Oscar-nominated Borat sequel as well as his Emmy-nominated series Who is America? Hatton is once again getting awards buzz for an untraditional series with Jury Duty. Nominated for four Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy, Jury Duty follows an unassuming (and extremely likable) man named Ronald Gladden as he goes through what he believes are normal jury duty proceedings. What he doesn’t know is the whole thing is a carefully calculated ruse, and everyone but him — from his fellow jurors to the witnesses to the extras at Margaritaville — are actors. Not only is the series hilarious, overflowing with wacky hijinks, but it’s surprisingly heartwarming as well.

When the genre-bending comedy “Jury Duty” launched its eight-episode run in April, Emmy nominations were the farthest thing from anyone’s mind. Of greater concern was simply having people know it was available at all, given that it was available on the little-known Amazon Freevee streaming service. “Actually, it was a blessing and a curse because it was such a crazy experimental undertaking,” admits Cody Heller, “Jury Duty’s” showrunner and executive producer. “There were moments where I was like, ‘Ok, if the show blows up and fails, at least no one will probably see it.’ But then once we finished it and we were all so proud of the work we’d done, we were like, ‘Oh man, I hope people watch it.'” Added fellow exec producer Nicholas Hatton: “To know that people have received the show in the spirit in which we intended has been beyond rewarding.

Months after “Jury Duty” unexpectedly stole America’s heart, the Amazon Freevee continued bucking its underdog status by landing four primetime Emmy nominations, a success EP Dave Bernad attributes to the show’s uplifting moments of humanity.

“As we went into Covid, we were in a dark time and the idea was trying to make something hopeful, and specifically part funny that had heart and, most importantly, that highlighted the hero’s journey and the wonderful humanity [that’s] out there,” Bernad told TheWrap. “I think maybe that’s what people responded to in the show, especially in this moment.”

The series nabbed two big scores for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for James Marsden, as well as nominations for Outstanding Casting For A Comedy Series and Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series, cementing Amazon Freevee as first free AVOD service to receive a major series Primetime Emmy nomination.

After a decade-long friendship, comedy producers David Bernad and Todd Schulman finally put together their hidden-camera comedy expertise to make Amazon Freevee’s viral success “Jury Duty.”

The executive producers of the overnight hit mockumentary combined their talents for the improvised-scripted sitcom. Bernad and Schulman began with the idea to hone in on sitcom genre tropes and create a story about an isolated individual amongst a cast of actors as they served on a sequestered jury.

The two have had successful stints with unconventional comedy subgenres, most recently within the improvised-scripted sphere. Schulman worked with Sacha Baron Cohen on “Who Is America?” and Bernad teamed with Eric Andre on “Bad Trip.” Prior to “Jury Duty,” Schulman served as executive producer on “Borat,” “Bruno,” “The Lovebirds” and “The Dictator,” while Bernad executive produced “The White Lotus,” “Superstore,” “Uncharted” and “White House Plumbers.“

Since “Jury Duty’s” ending, audiences have embraced star...

The reality comedy series “Jury Duty” is an elaborate prank on one normal man, and you’ll want to be in on the joke.

On Tuesday, Amazon released a trailer for the series, which is coming to the free ad-supported service Freevee on April 7. It’s a “docu-comedy” following Ronald Gladden, a solar contractor from San Diego who thinks he’s taking part in a documentary about an American jury trial, from juror selection through verdict. In reality, it’s all fake, every other participant is an actor, and everything that happens is carefully scripted to make him feel like he’s taking crazy pills.

“Jury Duty” was created by “The Office” veterans Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” and “Who Is America?” producer Todd Schulman is an EP. Cody Heller (“Dummy”) is the showrunner, and Jake Szymanski (“The Package”) is the director.

“Jury Duty originated with a...

“Jury Duty,” the upcoming docu-style comedy series starring James Marsden as himself, explores truths stranger than fiction when one unsuspecting juror is put in a courtroom of actors for a fake case and a faker documentary.

Marsden leads the “Truman Show”-style misadventure, playing a version of himself who tries – and fails – to get out of his civic duty when the judge fails to recognize him as a public figure. In the first trailer for the Amazon Freevee series, which dropped Tuesday, other characters are seen pushing the envelope of what’s acceptable behavior in the literal court of law – while real-life juror Ronald Gladden goes about his duty being none the wiser that everything is staged.

Coming from the producers of “The Office,” “The White Lotus” and “Bad Trip,” “Jury Duty” is just the latest comedy series to blend genres of reality and scripted, following in the steps of Sacha Baron Cohen,...

The outlet that unexpectedly crashed the top Emmy race; the home to complicated LGBTQ and female storytelling for an intriguing, glimmering moment; the place that today, even in its attenuated state, airs “Yellowjackets” and “Ziwe.”

For a long moment leading up until very recently, Showtime has felt like something less than what it once was — perhaps inevitable, given that “what it once was” was a channel that punched so far above weight that it seemed at times close to an equal of HBO. And the news that it is in some way changing form, taking on the cumbersome name “Paramount+ With Showtime” and seeing its highest-profile forthcoming series, “Three Women,” get offloaded before airing, suggests that even its more mediocre days as a stand-alone television network will soon be in the rear-view mirror.

It’s a shame! Obviously, the current state of affairs, in which endless well-funded outlets provide consumers infinite choice,...

Brian Reich, a veteran comedy writer known for his work on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where he created such memorable characters as Masturbating Bear and Pimpbot 5000, died September 12 in Los Angeles. He was 53.

Reich, born April 5, 1969, was a Harvard Lampoon alum. His first job out of college was as a writer on NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman at the end of its run. He then segued to Late Night with Conan O’Brien when the former Saturday Night Live writer took over the late-night talk show. During his five-year tenure, Reich helped establish the show as one of its key writers and creator of several signature characters.

Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery

“I am so saddened by the news that we’ve lost the hilarious Brian Reich,” O’Brien wrote on Twitter. “He was such an inventively funny and daring comedy writer and he gave...

In the DC Extended Universe, it’s not the villains who have identity issues, but the heroes. Bruce Wayne watched his parents get murdered, adopted a teenage sidekick and now spends his nights cosplaying as the creature everyone associates with vampires. Kal-El also saw his parents die and goes through life trying to pass as the earthling Clark Kent, wearing spandex under his work clothes, just in case. These are not the traits of well-adjusted normies, and as such, there’s enormous subversive appeal in seeing trans artist Vera Drew turn such iconic characters inside-out in the illicitly made marvel that is “The People’s Joker.”

Coming from a place of deep fan love and equally profound institutional mistrust, Drew’s anarchic feature-length parody impishly treads the line of fair use, so much so that the helmer pulled the film from the Toronto Film Festival after its raucous Midnight Madness premiere,...

Click here to read the full article.

The People’s Joker, Vera Drew’s debut feature about a trans woman working in a comedy set in the Batman universe, has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival for further screenings after its world premiere.

“The filmmaker has withdrawn this film due to rights issues. We apologize for any inconvenience. Current ticket holders will receive an email from TIFF customer relations with information on their purchase,” TIFF said on its website for The People’s Joker on Wednesday ahead of another screening at Scotiabank Theatre tonight that is now not going ahead.

Festival organizers confirmed the withdrawal of the queer coming-of-age tale from its additional play at TIFF. The filmmakers behind the movie, including the production banner Haunted Gay Ride Productions, offered no direct comment when The Hollywood Reporter reached out.

Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Batman and other DC Entertainment characters,...

Four years after former Alabama senator Roy Moore sued Sacha Baron Cohen for 95 million over a prank in the actor’s Who Is America? series, an appeals court has rejected the defamation lawsuit.

In the segment, Cohen’s Israeli soldier character, Colonel Erran Morad lured Moore — fresh off facing accusations of sexual misconduct, including one from a woman who was 14 at the time of the alleged incident — under the guise of having a conversation about Israel and their technology.

However, during the interview, “Morad” produced a fictional “pedophile detector test.

Sacha Baron Cohen has beaten former Senate candidate Roy Moore’s 95 million defamation lawsuit against him.

The Alabama politician sued Cohen after his 2018 “Who Is America?” sketch aired on Showtime. The satirical series included Cohen joking about Moore’s multiple sexual assault allegations from then-underage women that were uncovered during his 2017 Senate campaign to fill the seat vacated when Jeff Sessions became U.S. Attorney General. He lost to Democrat Doug Jones. No criminal charges were brought against Moore, who denied any wrongdoing, but that didn’t stop Cohen from making a crack over it.

During the “Who Is America?” segment, Cohen steps into the role of a faux Israeli anti-terrorism expert named General Erran Morad, who pulls out a metal detector that he claims can also alert to a pedophile’s presence. Despite Moore’s disclosure agreement before appearing in the series, he and wife Kayla Moore sued Cohen...

A U.S. Appeals court has upheld a decision that sided with Sacha Baron Cohen in a lawsuit filed by former U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore against the “Borat” star, with Baron Cohen again beating a 95 million defamation lawsuit Moore brought in 2018 after Moore was lampooned in the Showtime series “Who Is America?”

Baron Cohen won the lawsuit back in 2021 after Moore accused Baron Cohen of intentional emotional distress and fraud, claiming he was defamed by the interview. But the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on Thursday, in documents obtained by TheWrap, upheld the initial decision by a judge in the Southern District of New York.

The appeals court agreed that it saw “no ambiguity” in Moore’s release of all claims, but also that the “Who Is America?” segment was “clearly comedy and that no reasonable viewer would conclude otherwise.”

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When Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Who Is America?” hit the airwaves in 2018, it quickly became the talk of the town in political circles. The Showtime series featured the comedian using a variety of fake personas to trick high-profile figures, ranging from notable politicians to famous internet trolls, into sitting down for embarrassing interviews. While the format was similar to previous Cohen projects like “Da Ali G Show,” it was recognized for Cohen’s remarkable ability to fool people, especially considering the fact that his fame had increased significantly over the years.

Speaking to Judd Apatow for his latest book “Sicker in the Head: More Conversations About Life and Comedy,” Cohen opened up about some of the enemies that the show made him in Washington. While few were surprised he was able to trick the likes of Oj Simpson and Joe Arpaio, Cohen recalled the story of duping someone who really...

Sacha Baron Cohen says Bernie Sanders’ team threatened to open a congressional hearing over his “Who Is America?” interview.

The “Borat” creator opened up about his experience making the 2018 political satire series in an excerpt from Judd Apatow’s upcoming book “Sicker in the Head: More Conversations About Life and Comedy,” out March 29.

In “Who Is America?,” Cohen interviewed Sanders while disguised as fictional conspiracy theorist Billy Wayne. During the interview, he urged the Senator to stop complaining about the ultra-wealthy and move the rest of America “into the 1%.”

“It’s my first time as this character, so I’m not deep in character; the accent’s not quite there,” Cohen said (via Air Mail). “We sit down, and it’s chaotic. We know we’ve only got an hour with Bernie Sanders. He’s late. And he gets pissed off within five minutes, when he realized that he was with this idiot.

Exclusive: Oscar nominee Sacha Baron Cohen is in talks to join Cate Blanchett and Kevin Kline in Disclaimer, the Apple TV+ series adaptation of the Renee Knight novel that is being written, directed and executive produced by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón.

Baron Cohen is coming off multiple Oscar nominations last year, for Best Supporting Actor in Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial Of The Chicago Seven, and for Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. Baron Cohen’s last TV series turn was the critically acclaimed espionage Netflix series The Spy, and before that the Showtime series Who Is America?

Disclaimer is produced by Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj and Anonymous Content. Cuarón serves as executive producer alongside Esperanto Filmoj’s Gabriela Rodriguez and Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Dawn Olmstead and the late Steve Golin, and Blanchett. Academy Award-winner Emmanuel Lubezki (Gravity) and Academy Award nominee Bruno Delbonnel (The Tragedy of Macbeth...

Sacha Baron Cohen continues to prove he’s a legal legend. On Tuesday, the comedian defeated yet another lawsuit from someone he duped.

The newest someone is Roy Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court justice who infamously lost a U.S. Senate race following allegations of sexual misconduct. Moore appeared on Who Is America?, Cohen’s show for Showtime, and was interviewed by an Israeli “Anti-Terrorism Expert” named “Gen. Erran Morad.” During the interview, this military character, obviously Cohen, introduced a device that could detect certain enzymes that are secreted only by “sex offenders and particularly pedophiles.” And when Cohen ...

Sacha Baron Cohen continues to prove he’s a legal legend. On Tuesday, the comedian defeated yet another lawsuit from someone he duped.

The newest someone is Roy Moore, the former Alabama Supreme Court justice who infamously lost a U.S. Senate race following allegations of sexual misconduct. Moore appeared on Who Is America?, Cohen’s show for Showtime, and was interviewed by an Israeli “Anti-Terrorism Expert” named “Gen. Erran Morad.” During the interview, this military character, obviously Cohen, introduced a device that could detect certain enzymes that are secreted only by “sex offenders and particularly pedophiles.” And when Cohen ...

Exclusive: Unsurprisingly, there is little on which Sacha Baron Cohen and failed GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore see eye to eye. However, it still might raise an eyebrow a bit to discover that the discord literally includes which way The Trial of the Chicago 7 star turns his gaze.

As the defendants seek to dismiss Moore’s almost three-year old $95 million defamation suit against master satirist Baron Cohen over a damning appearance in Showtime’s Who Is America?, the political plaintiff’s lawyer is hoping to take the double Oscar-nominated performer to task for where he was looking during a recent deposition via Zoom. Really.

“The video does clearly show [sic] Cohen looking downward – most likely at his phone or tablet — with virtually every question that I posed, and it is thus obvious that he was being fed answers by someone,” Moore’s lawyer Larry Klayman wrote in an amended letter sent to U.

For the titular character’s return to America in Amazon’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, 14 years after the smash success of 2006’s Borat, satirist Sacha Baron Cohen recruited eight writers to craft the film’s screenplay. Some of those writers — including Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer — received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay alongside Baron Cohen for the 2006 film; joining the writing team for the Oscar-nominated sequel are Dan Swimer and Lee Kern (who worked on Baron Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America?), as well as Erica Rivinoja, Jena Friedman and Nina Pedrad....

For the titular character’s return to America in Amazon’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, 14 years after the smash success of 2006’s Borat, satirist Sacha Baron Cohen recruited eight writers to craft the film’s screenplay. Some of those writers — including Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham and Dan Mazer — received an Academy Award nomination for best adapted screenplay alongside Baron Cohen for the 2006 film; joining the writing team for the Oscar-nominated sequel are Dan Swimer and Lee Kern (who worked on Baron Cohen’s Showtime series Who Is America?), as well as Erica Rivinoja, Jena Friedman and Nina Pedrad....

Sacha Baron Cohen has been nominated for five acting Golden Globes to date, including two this year alone. In addition to his nomination for his supporting turn in “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” he returns to the Globes for playing his most popular character, Borat Sagdiyev, in “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Baron Cohen won Best Film Comedy/Musical Actor on his first attempt in 2007 for playing the titular Kazahk “journalist” in the original 2006 smash hit mockumentary “Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” and was nominated the last two years on the TV side for his Showtime mockumentary “Who is America?” and the Netflix movie “The Spy.”

In “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” Baron Cohen reprises his role as the titular character, who’s accompanied by his 15-year-old daughter Tutar (Maria Bakalova...

While Sacha Baron Cohen is racking up award nominations for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, his lawyers are using its predecessor as an example of why a New York federal judge should end the $95 million defamation suit Roy Moore filed against him over a 2018 appearance on Who Is America? — arguing that not only does the suit implicate his free speech rights, but also he’s already shown his contracts are airtight when it comes to claims arising from his satire.

Moore in September 2018 sued Cohen, along with Showtime and CBS, in D.C. federal court over a segment that featured Cohen,...

While Sacha Baron Cohen is racking up award nominations for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, his lawyers are using its predecessor as an example of why a New York federal judge should end the $95 million defamation suit Roy Moore filed against him over a 2018 appearance on Who Is America? — arguing that not only does the suit implicate his free speech rights, but also he’s already shown his contracts are airtight when it comes to claims arising from his satire.

Moore in September 2018 sued Cohen, along with Showtime and CBS, in D.C. federal court over a segment that featured Cohen,...

Back in 2006 British TV comedian Sacha Baron Cohen took the world by storm when he wrote, produced, and starred in the outlandish mockumentary film “Borat.” The title character, a guileless Kazakh journalist, had already appeared in various projects over the preceding decade, including the HBO series “Da Ali G Show” and the 2002 film “Ali G Indahouse.” It was not until he was given his own film, however, that he truly broke into the zeitgeist and his creator experienced his greatest success.

Though he had a BAFTA Award and four Emmy bids to his name prior to “Borat,” Baron Cohen’s popularity rose to new heights upon the film’s release and his comedic genius attracted widespread acclaim. The film outgrossed “Ali G Indahouse” tenfold and became a serious awards contender in 2007. Baron Cohen ended up winning a Golden Globe for his acting and earned WGA and Oscar nominations for co-writing the screenplay.

Sacha Baron Cohen is comfortably in front in our Best Film Comedy/Musical Actor Golden Globe odds for his “Borat” follow-up “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.” Very nice indeed. Even nicer: If he prevails, he’ll make some Golden Globe history.

A victory would mark Baron Cohen’s second in the category, following his win for the original “Borat,” which came out in 2006. He wouldn’t be the first to win the category twice, but he’d be the first to have multiple wins in the category for playing the same character.

It’s not surprising no one’s pulled off this feat yet since most films don’t have sequels and even fewer sequels are singled out for awards love. Robert Downey Jr. nabbed the Best Film Comedy/Musical Actor statuette for “Sherlock Holmes” (2009), but he...

When he made the 2006 blockbuster Borat,” Sacha Baron Cohen never thought the ribald mockumentary would become part of the pop culture landscape. “Myself and other writers felt it was going to be an incredibly obscure, niche movie,” he noted in a recent Zoom conversation with Variety’s Jenelle Riley and his “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm” breakout star Maria Bakalova.

“It was an anti-Semitic journalist character from a central Asian country that we’d essentially made up,” Baron Cohen explained. “It had a scene of two men fighting naked. We just assumed that nobody would watch it. Our friends would love it and some of our contemporary would dig it. Then it ended up being a huge hit. ‘Borat’ became incredibly well-known. Then we thought it’s impossible to ever do a sequel. So, I kind of abandoned it.”

Until Trump was elected. Baron Cohen felt very frustrated with his election. “I...

Rudy Giuliani didn’t know he was in the script for “Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm,” but the filmmaking team was ready for him. The shocking finale of Sacha Baron Cohen’s timely satire put a new spin on the proverbial October surprise: Released weeks before the November election, the movie provided a welcome excuse to discredit President Donald J. Trump’s sniveling, xenophobic lawyer and humiliate him in the process.

For the uninitiated: Spoiler alert! The sequel ends with Tutar (Maria Bakalova), the daughter of fake Kazakh journalist Borat, posing as a reporter and interviewing Giuliani in a New York City hotel room — but the characters have more on their minds than that. Tutar, who assumes her father will be executed in their home country if he doesn’t deliver her as a bride to Giuliani, walks into an adjacent bedroom with her day-drinking subject, ostensibly to give herself over to him.

“Borat 2” was a family affair for Sacha and Erran Baron Cohen. The older brother of comedian Sacha, Erran is a composer and trumpet player who created the musical score for the Amazon Prime Video comedy sequel. Being the “Borat 2” composer also meant Erran contributed lyrics to the film’s “Wuhan Flu” singalong sequence, performed by Sacha in disguise at a far-right rally in Washington. It’s now an unexpected Oscar contender for Best Original Song, and Erran is all for performing “Wuhan Flu” on Hollywood’s biggest night.

“I would love to, if we could travel then,” Erran told The Hollywood Reporter. “I think that would be one of the best things that would ever happen at the Oscars. It would make it the most interesting Oscars ceremony ever.

“The issue of course is that it’s a racist song,” the composer added. “It’s highlighting the racism in people.

Given the on-screen insanity, an erratic, Covid-impacted production wrapped in secrecy, and very heavy use of editing, soundtracking a feature such as Amazon’s recent headline-amassing and Rudy Giuliani-angering Borat Subsequent Moviefilm may seem a tall order for any musician.

But it’s a task that composer Erran Baron Cohen knows only too well, having worked with his younger brother Sacha Baron Cohen on all of his previous films and TV shows, including Who Is America?, The Dictator, Bruno, the first Borat feature and, going back some 20 years, Da Ali G Show.

It was the elder Baron Cohen who had to quickly compose the music for “Wuhan ...

Given the on-screen insanity, an erratic, Covid-impacted production wrapped in secrecy, and very heavy use of editing, soundtracking a feature such as Amazon’s recent headline-amassing and Rudy Giuliani-angering Borat Subsequent Moviefilm may seem a tall order for any musician.

But it’s a task that composer Erran Baron Cohen knows only too well, having worked with his younger brother Sacha Baron Cohen on all of his previous films and TV shows, including Who Is America?, The Dictator, Bruno, the first Borat feature and, going back some 20 years, Da Ali G Show.

It was the elder Baron Cohen who had to quickly compose the music for “Wuhan ...

Exclusive: Richard Plepler’s Eden Productions has brought in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm co-producer Ashley Underwood as a development executive.

Former HBO chairman and CEO Plepler formed Eden following his exit from the premium cabler in 2019. The company is under an exclusive five-year deal with Apple TV+ to develop and produce original series, feature films and documentaries for the streamer.

At Eden, Underwood joins Josh Tyrangiel, Senior Producer for Documentaries, and creative executive Heather Karpas.

“We are very excited to add Ashley to the Eden team, she has incredible instincts and taste, and I’m delighted she will be joining us,” Plepler said.

Underwood most recently worked with Sacha Baron Cohen, co-producing Borat Subsequent Moviefilm for Amazon and Emmy-nominated series Who Is America? for Showtime.

Previously, Underwood served as a producer for NBC’s Dateline and as a contributing writer for The Huffington Post. She is a graduate of The American...

Sacha Baron Cohen is having a bit of a streaming spotlight moment right now, with two very different film projects that are both drawing attention to the English actor and expert farceur. He appears as Abbie Hoffman, the flower-power Yippie leader and social activist, in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which details the events that led to rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It is available on Netflix.

The other is the now-notorious sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” which can be found on Amazon Prime Video. He reprises his guise as Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakhstani news reporter who found fame and a prison sentence in his homeland for the past 14 years since his first mock-doc. Right now, the notorious randy antics of a gullible Rudy Giuliani are overshadowing Baron Cohen’s return to a U.S. that is under the divisive reign of Donald Trump while in...

Sacha Baron Cohen is having a bit of a streaming spotlight moment right now, with two very different film projects that are both drawing attention to the English actor and expert farceur. He appears as Abbie Hoffman, the flower-power Yippie leader and social activist, in Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which details the events that led to rioting at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. It is available on Netflix.

The other is the now-notorious sequel “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” which can be found on Amazon Prime Video. He reprises his guise as Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakhstani news reporter who found fame and a prison sentence in his homeland for the past 14 years since his first mock-doc. Right now, the notorious randy antics of a gullible Rudy Giuliani are overshadowing Baron Cohen’s return to a U.S. that is under the divisive reign of Donald Trump while in...

Orlando Bloom shocked his wife Katy Perry with a Nsfw birthday message from Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat. The celebrity couple recently had a date night where they went to go see Borat 2, or Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. Apparently they are both pretty big fans of Cohen's work, as Perry seemed very excited to share her message from the fictional reporter to her 107 million followers.

Borat's birthday message to Katy Perry begins with the character awkwardly staring at the camera for a few seconds, before greeting her and calling her "Katy Pepsi." From there, he goes on to allude to the famous nude paddle boarding pictures of Orlando Bloom and the singer's birthday cake. It's very on-brand for Sacha Baron Cohen's comedy and it's not the first time that he has wished a celebrity a happy birthday this month.

Few could have anticipated the eruption of bigotry and hatred surfacing across America in 2020, but Sacha Baron Cohen called it out long ago. The British comedian-turned-performance artist has never been better at identifying the worst tendencies of the modern world than under the guise of Borat, the mustachioed Kazakh journalist he’s been playing since “Da Ali G Show” premiered 20 years ago, and his latest zany romp proves he’s only grown more confident in the approach with time.

In his 2006 mockumentary, Borat went to America and provoked rampant anti-Semitism across the land. It was hard to imagine how a sequel could go much further. But then Trump happened, white nationalism scored a national platform, internet conspiracy theories went mainstream, and the pandemic only further exacerbated the festering, stupid rage of a society on the brink. The time was ripe for more Borat, and Baron Cohen has met his moment,...

Update September 29: Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to “Borat 2,” Deadline confirms. The sequel will debut on the streaming platform in late October ahead of Election Day. The movie will launch around the world in 240 countries on Amazon Prime. The sequel is reportedly titled “Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan.” As always, Cohen risked his life to shoot the project in secret. Deadline reports the comedian had to wear a bulletproof vest on two different shooting days to stay safe in case a scenario got out of hand.

Earlier: A sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen’s blockbuster 2006 comedy “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” has been shot and screened “for a select few industry types,” Collider’s Jeff Sneider reports based on confirmations from multiple sources. The sources say “Borat 2” finds...

Borat 2 has a ridiculously long title that references Vice President Mike Pence. Sacha Baron Cohen secretly filmed the new sequel with only a few in the entertainment industry knowing what he was up to. The comedian was spotted in Long Beach, California driving a pickup truck in character a few months ago, which is when the secret came out. Though many knew Cohen was working on something, most assumed that it was for Who is America? season 2.

The full title of Borat 2 is reportedly: Borat: Gift of Pornographic Monkey to Vice Premiere Mikhael Pence to Make Benefit Recently Diminished Nation of Kazakhstan. The title was originally discovered on the Writer's Guild of America West's website, which has since been taken down. While the title is certainly long, it's on par with the title of the 2006 first installment, which is titled Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

NBC’s long-running “Saturday Night Live” has won the Emmy for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series.

The win marks the fourth consecutive year that “Saturday Night Live” has earned the Emmy in the category. IndieWire’s Ben Travers recently predicted that “Saturday Night Live” would perform well during the Emmys due to its widespread popularity and recognition among Emmy voters.

“Over the three years it’s won Variety Sketch, ‘SNL’ had 18 total nominations in 2019 and won five times; 2018 saw 21 nods and eight wins; 2017 hit a recent high with 23 nominations and nine wins, including four acting trophies,” Travers said in his article on the category’s likely winner. “So Lorne Michaels’ juggernaut is trending down… and it’s still one of the most recognized programs at the Emmys. Even if voters agree Season 45 wasn’t the best iteration of the series, it’s built up decades of goodwill.”

“Saturday Night Live” beat...

Throughout Emmy season, IndieWire will be evaluating the top contenders for TV’s most prestigious prize, and it all starts here. At the bottom of this page are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Best Variety Sketch Series — if you’re looking for Variety Talk Series projections, those can be found here. This article will be updated throughout the coming months, along with all our predictions, to reflect an up-to-the-minute state of the race. Make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest coverage on the 2020 Emmys, including breaking news, analysis, interviews, podcasts, FYC event coverage, reviews of all the awards contenders, and more. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be given out the week of September 14. The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place virtually on Sunday, September 20. (See our awards calendar for a more detailed breakdown of important dates.) ABC is broadcasting the ceremony.

Last Year...

Has variety sketch peaked? This year’s Emmy category got caught in the rule change that limited the number of nominations in proportion to the number of contenders submitted — and with just 14 entries, that meant only three ballot slots. Several of last year’s nominees weren’t eligible in 2020, while “At Home With Amy Sedaris” didn’t make the cut, leaving room for returnees “Saturday Night Live” and “Drunk History,” and newcomer “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” With previous nominees such as “Portlandia,” and winners “Key & Peele” and “Inside Amy Schumer” also long gone, variety sketch could be at a crossroads. NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” is looking for a fourth consecutive win, but keep an eye on upstart “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” from HBO.

The Case for “Saturday Night Live”

“Saturday Night Live” wasn’t much of an Emmy player for most of its run, having landed...

Sacha Baron Cohen was spotted driving around Long Beach, California this week in a yellow truck dressed up like Borat. A video of the actor cruising through the city first appeared on Twitter and has since gotten fans to speculate why he’s dressing up as the protagonist of his most famous film to date.

The answer to that remains unclear, but Cohen has certainly had a busy summer. First, he occupied himself by compiling footage for the second season of Who is America?, a skit comedy show in which the actor dons various disguises to fool his subjects. Then, he managed to land an interview with Rudy Giuliani, a former major of New York City and personal lawyer of Donald Trump.

Just saw a live shooting of Borat driving some yellow hooptie truck in my hood!!! …. pic.twitter.com/NSDmrKgPPe

— Switzon S. Wigfall, III (Sswiii) (@switzonthegreat) August 17, 2020

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