Baron Cohen gets serious
Borat star signs up for war protest film
Sacha Baron Cohen is to ditch comedy to star in a serious political film being made by Steven Spielberg.The Borat star will play Abbie Hoffman, an anarchist opponent of the Vietnam war, in The Trial of the Chicago 7.
West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin has written the script, based on the celebrated case of protesters charged with conspiracy and inciting to riot at the 1968 Democratic party convention.
The anti war ‘carnival’ turned nasty when demonstrators threw bricks, and police responded with tear gas – and was seen as a culture clash between the establishment and the burgeoning hippy counter-culture.
Baron Cohen, who will be paid about £3million for the film, according to the Sunday Times, has recently said he will have to retire Borat as he has become too well-known.
Shooting on The Trial of the Chicago 7 is expected to start in March, depending on the outcome of the current Hollywood writers’ strike.
Baron Cohen is currently working on a new film as Bruno, a camp Austrian fashionista.
Published: 30 Dec 2007
