After portraying relatively normal and subdued (at least for him) people in Les Misérables and Anchorman 2, Sacha Baron Cohen is back to doing what he does best: Portraying an outrageous character in an over-the-top comedy. The man who created the ridiculous personas of Ali G, Borat, and Bruno can next be seen as Carl "Nobby" Butcher in The Brothers Grimsby, a British spy comedy which he also co-wrote. And if Baron Cohen's newest invention turns out to be successful and a hit with fans, people are going to want to know if there will be a sequel to The Brothers Grimsby.
Anything is possible, but the evidence against a sequel is definitely stronger than the evidence for one, and here's why: Baron Cohen has yet to create a sequel for any of his films. Of the four other films in which he plays a character he created: Ali G Indahouse, Borat, Bruno, and The Dictator; none of them have inspired talk of a sequel. And though the mockumentary-style format of Borat and Bruno would make a sequel difficult to pull off, the other two are both traditional, scripted comedies, like The Brothers Grimsby. Yet still, Baron Cohen has not shown any interest in revisiting these characters in a film capacity.
One reason for this could be the comedian's desire to challenge himself. He is always trying to come up with something new and different, and he's done that with The Brothers Grimsby. Therefore, even if the movie ends up being his most successful film (which is unlikely considering Borat's outstanding 92 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating and $261 million box office performance), Baron Cohen would rather invent a new character than keep recycling the same ones over and over. As the writer/actor recently told news.com.au, "My aim is always to outdo myself."
So although a sequel to The Brothers Grimsby is still a possibility, Baron Cohen's preference for creating new characters and not repeating material suggests that Nobby's first film will also be his last. And if that's the case, then I'm totally OK with it, and am already looking forward to seeing what the comedian comes up with next.
Images: Columbia Pictures; giphy.com
