Sacha Baron Cohen In 'The Dictator': To Star As Romantic Saddam Hussein Character

And you thought Borat and Bruno were uncomfortable to watch.

Actor/comedian/boundary-pusher Sacha Baron Cohen has signed on to star in a new film titled 'The Dictator,' Paramount Films announced on Thursday. The movie will be based on the Iraqi novel 'Zabibah and the King,' which was first published anonymously -- and then revealed to be written by then-dictator Saddam Hussein.

'Zabibah and the King' is about a benevolent, beloved king who falls in love with a beautiful girl, who is married to a cruel man who rapes her. While a love story on the surface, it is actually an allegory for Iraqi 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.

For more on the book, click over to the Amazon.com listing. Some people say he didn't actually write it, but directed the story to writers.

The press release from Paramount (via ComingSoon.net) follows:

Paramount Pictures announced today that Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy The Dictator will be released worldwide on May 11, 2012. The studio also announced that Larry Charles (Borat, Bruno) has come aboard to 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. It is inspired by the best selling novel "Zabibah and The King" by Saddam Hussein.

Producing alongside Baron Cohen are Scott Rudin, Alec Berg, Jeff Schaffer, and David Mandel. The project marks the first collaboration for Rudin (The Social Network, True Grit) and Baron Cohen, while Berg, Schaffer and Mandel ("Seinfeld," "Curb Your Enthusiasm") join him as screenwriters on the movie.

The movie is the latest collaboration between Baron Cohen and Charles, who previously worked together on Borat as well as Bruno. Dan Mazer (Borat, Bruno), Ant Hines (Borat, Bruno) and Peter Baynham (Borat) will serve as executive producers, reuniting the rest of the Academy Award®-nominated and Golden Globe winning Borat team. Todd Schulman (Borat, Bruno) is co-producing under Baron Cohen's Four By Two Films banner.

Comments

[consequenceofsounds]

09:16 PM on 01/20/2011

I love how fearless he is in his choice of roles. Can't wait for that film as well. BTW, won't this be akin to Charles Chaplin portraying a Hitler-inspired character in "The Great Dictator".

[LMPE]

07:41 PM on 01/20/2011

So, is this going to be the same kind of Saddam Hussein that appeared in "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut"?

[rjakjr]

06:17 PM on 01/20/2011

I don't get it... the girl is supposed to be what... oil???

[FTracy3]

05:43 PM on 01/20/2011

"Saddam Enchanted Evening...."

[cdncommentator]

03:54 PM on 01/20/2011

Hi-larious!!! I can't wait!

[janedoe31]

03:13 PM on 01/20/2011

if being a star and comedian means laughing at other people's expense.....one would have to wonder how these wolves were raised....they must have very low self esteem and possible mental problems...........personally I think he's a goof

[sLUCIDITy]

06:18 PM on 01/20/2011

I can tell ya what. With your humourless p0st, I'm laughing at your expense. :)

[eric14]

02:59 PM on 01/20/2011

Maybe his next movie will be called ''The Settler'' and be a comedy of manners that takes place in the West bank.

Maybe not. He only derogates Muslims in his absurd performances.

[cdncommentator]

03:55 PM on 01/20/2011

What about Austrians? Didn't you see Bruno?

[asher808]

12:51 PM on 02/28/2011

"He only derogates Muslims in his absurd performances."

Not sure Borat's song "Throw the Jew Down the Well", discussing Jew horns or the anti-Semitic sequences in the Borat film back you up there, Eric. And come to think of it, I can't think of one anti-Muslim moment in any of his works.

To put it another way, what are you smoking?

[MikeDu]

02:44 PM on 01/20/2011

So Cohen apparently didn't jump the shark sufficiently with Bruno, the most over-hyped flop since "Heaven's Gate".

[ElBruce]

02:35 PM on 01/20/2011

The original book title is better. There's no need to change it.

[Boopsie2008]

02:30 PM on 01/20/2011

It's teeth-droppingly surprising that Saddam Hussein wrote a novel that was a love story.

It's hilarious that Sacha Baron Cohen is making a movie out of it. He's perfect -- nobody else would do. I'm already cringing at the potential for tastelessness, yet knowing I'll laugh out loud in the theater.

[lotus321]

02:43 PM on 01/20/2011

I still love sadaam. I think his hanging was a tragedy for the region..he was the only one holding thing together there.....His countrymen are not better without him today..

[cdncommentator]

03:56 PM on 01/20/2011

Except for the Kurds....and the Marsh Shia.

I don't think they miss Saddam.

[RedLeg2]

02:01 PM on 01/20/2011

I thought he was going to be Freddy Mercury?

[JimR]

02:26 PM on 01/20/2011

He is.

[RedLeg2]

03:07 PM on 01/20/2011

wow, to play saddam and freddy. whodathunk it!

[Jan K DeWitt]

01:55 PM on 01/20/2011

Ok, I definitely gotta see this.

[grange]

01:51 PM on 01/20/2011

Will either be terrible or brilliant but ridiculing dictators is very beneficial

[JimR]

02:27 PM on 01/20/2011

Yup. Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" was one of the brilliant ones.

[maxfax]

01:51 PM on 01/20/2011

There's no humor with this.

[havingalaugh]

01:48 PM on 01/20/2011

The Iraqi Baath's are just going to plotz, when they realize the star and most of the production crew are MOT.