Sacha Baron Cohen, who is known for inventing colourful and memorable personalities such as Ali G, Borat and Bruno and made a recent return in Grimsby, is set to star in Mandrake the Magician.
According to The Tracking Board:
“The story centers around the adventures of Mandrake, the illusionist and escape artist with the power to hypnotize his foes. With his companion Lothar, he travels the globe solving mysteries and fighting evildoers – including his twin brother who uses his powers for evil instead than good. Sources say that the plan is to update the character for the 21st century, with Mandrake being recruited by the United States government for a secret mission[…]The project has been in development for years, undergoing multiple variations at the hands of several writers and producers […]Now, with Baron Cohen attached to the lead and Etan Cohen on board to direct, it looks like the project has momentum once again.”
The Independent reported that Baron Cohen’s Grimsby “received mixed reviews from critics, especially those local to the titular location” and suffered a “poor debut” commercially.
However, The Telegraph wrote that his films Bruno and The Dictator earned him “box office success”, and that other roles included those in “more commercial fare” like “Hugo and Tom Hooper’s feature film adaptation of Les Miserables”. It will therefore be interesting to see how Mandrake the Magician does, both at the box office and critically.
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