Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) has niched a reputation as a writer-producer that isn’t afraid to test the limits of social controversy with his work. Next week, Baron Cohen’s new film entitled The Brothers Grimsby will debut in theaters, and one scene shows Presidential candidate Donald Trump accidentally contracting HIV.
As reported in a Huffington Post exclusive, the film has received applause and cheer during Trump’s scene at audience screenings around the world. The movie reportedly received standing ovations in Europe.
Despite audiences loving Baron Cohen’s treatment of Trump, Sony Pictures executives are reportedly panicking about the implications of having a Presidential candidate contracting HIV in a movie. They recently endured a similar stream of controversy with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un in response to James Franco and Seth Rogen’s The Interview in 2014. This time Sony was sure to include a disclaimer that Trump did not willingly participate in the film.
Industry sources, according to the Huff Post report, have some differing views on Trump’s scene in the movie, but the general feeling is that we won’t see Sony excessively promoting Baron Cohen’s project. Donald Trump might be American’s favorite politician to hate and make fun of at the moment, but the legal ramifications come into question, and in the same breath, potentially getting on the bad side of the next President of the United States.
The Brothers Grimsy, starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Rebel Wilson, and Mark Strong opens in the U.S. on March 11. Watch the trailer below.
