The film tells “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed,” according to the studio.
In the words of Borat,’Very nice’! lol This is great and I am looking forward to this one. As soon as the trailer comes out I will put it up on the blog (which will probably be late this year or early next year). I am sure this movie will also increase sales of Saddam’s crazy book called Zabibah and the King. –Matt
Larry Charles and Sacha Cohen (as Borat).
Larry Charles, who also worked on “Borat” and “Bruno,” will direct the Paramount picture.
January 20, 2011
NEW YORK – Paramount Pictures has set a May 11, 2012 release date for Sacha Baron Cohen’s new comedy The Dictator and reunited him with the director of his previous movies.
The studio said Thursday that Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) will once again direct.
The film tells “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed,” according to the studio.
It is inspired by the novel Zabibah and The King by Saddam Hussein.
Producing alongside Baron Cohen are Scott Rudin, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer and David Mandel.
Story here.
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‘Borat’ star in Saddam Hussein-inspired comedy
January 21, 2011
LOS ANGELES — British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of the satire “Borat,” will turn heads again with his new project “The Dictator,” inspired by a novel from late Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein, his studio said Friday.
The film, set for release in May 2012, “tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed,” Paramount Pictures said.
The comedy is “inspired by the best selling novel ‘Zabibah and the King,’ written by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein,” said the production studio.
According to online bookseller Amazon, “Zabibah and the King” tells the “allegorical love story between a mighty king (Saddam) and a simple, yet beautiful commoner named Zabibah (the Iraqi people).
“Zabibah is married to a cruel and unloving husband (the United States) who forces himself upon her against her will,” according to the plot.
The book was set in mid to late 600 AD, and it was unclear if the Cohen movie would be set in the same time period.
Directing the big-screen adaptation will be Larry Charles, who was at the helm of Cohen’s previous largely mockumentary-style ventures — the award-winning “Borat” in 2006 and “Bruno” in 2009.
After breaking out of British TV in the late 1990s with his mock journalist character Ali G, Cohen rocketed to worldwide fame with his satirical “Borat,” which told the tale of a bumbling, backward Kazakh journalist traveling across the United States.
Story here.
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From the book description.
This is the book that is being made into a movie called The Dictator, staring Sacha Cohen of Borat fame.
Product Description
WHAT IS IT ABOUT? Zabiba and the King is an allegorical love story between a mighty king (Saddam) and a simple, yet beautiful commoner named Zabiba (the Iraqi people). Zabiba is married to a cruel and unloving husband (the United States) who forces himself upon her against her will. This act of rape is compared to the United States invasion of Iraq.
DOES SADDAM HUSSEIN RECEIVE ANY MONEY FOR THIS BOOK? Not a dime. The translation is owned by the editor.
WHY TRANSLATE THIS BOOK? The editor, an American businessman, had the book translated into English to satisfy his own curiosity. He also felt it would be interesting and a beneficial tool for the curious, the patriotic, the educator, the historian, etc., as well as for the friends and families of servicemen serving in Iraq.
The publisher, a strong supporter of U.S. troops, felt the book was an interesting read. While the allegory is controversial and, at times, unsettling, it gives the reader an opportunity to “play detective” and attempt to decipher any hidden meanings.
WHAT IS THE SETTING? The stomping grounds of a young Saddam Hussein near Tikrit, Iraq.
WHAT IS THE TIME PERIOD? The era of the story is the mid-600’s to early 700’s A.D., due to the clue the main character, Zabiba, is a devout follower of Islam, yet the king still worships the idols of his forefathers and is ignorant of some of the fundamental traditions of the Islamic faith.
DID SADDAM HUSSEIN REALLY WRITE THE NOVEL? While it is no secret that the release of this book in Arabic was an overnight best seller in Iraq and even became an on-stage musical production in Baghdad, the book promotes the establishment of a quasi-democratic form of government that the editor and others believe would not have been allowed to be published in Iraq unless Saddam were intimately involved in its creation. Many Iraqis firmly believe it was penned by Saddam Hussein.