PICTUREHOUSE Cinemas won’t be showing the new Ali G film when it lands this October — a notable snub for a release positioned as a big-screen return for Sacha Baron Cohen’s most infamous creation.

The mockumentary sequel, titled Ali G: Who Iz I?, puts Baron Cohen back in character “in a real-life setting”, 24 years after the original film. It’s expected to be released in cinemas on October 23 and is being distributed by Amazon MGM.

Picturehouse, which has 25 cinemas across the UK, has said it doesn’t currently have any plans to screen the film on its release.

The decision comes as media watchdog NewsCord calls for cinemas to refuse to show the movie, arguing it uses “satire” as cover for “enforcing racist stereotypes”. The group also alleges Baron Cohen has “enforced harmful stereotypes across marginalised communities through his characters” and claimed Amazon MGM has “revived a racist caricature”. NewsCord says supporters have sent around 27,000 emails to cinemas nationwide to raise concerns.

On screen, the film leans into Ali G’s chaotic “documentary” premise, with the character claiming: “For the first time ever, this is with real people not actors.” In trailer footage, Ali G jokes about what the world has “survived” since 2002 — including Ed Sheeran.

Morgana Robinson plays Ali G’s girlfriend Julie, replacing Kellie Bright, after filming the role in secret over the course of a year. In the movie, Julie is revealed to be eight months pregnant, with one preview clip showing Ali G trying to convince a doctor she’s just “bloated” — before shoving a positive pregnancy test in his mouth and pretending it’s a vape.