Sacha Baron Cohen to star in Quentin Tarantino's debut West End play

Sacha Baron Cohen is set to star in Quentin Tarantino's debut stage play, The Popinjay Cavalier, premiering on the West End in London on March 18, 2027.

This marks Tarantino's first work written for the stage, which he will also direct.

"Quentin called, I said yes before he even got to say his first 'motherfucker'," the Borat star, Baron Cohen, said. "I am beyond delighted that we will be losing our West End virginity together. I have made him promise not to be gentle."

Tarantino, known for films including Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction and Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, said he was "keen with anticipation to give the West End a great night out."

The Popinjay Cavalier, set in 1830s Europe, was announced earlier this year. The story was inspired by the classic genre of old Hollywood, including the writings of George Bruce, Ernst Vajda and Jesse Lasky Jr.

It's been billed as a "rambunctious comedy of deception and disguise inspired by the grand swashbuckling epics of stage and screen."

A popinjay is defined as "a vain, foppish or conceited person," while a cavalier is a cavalryman or courteous gentleman.

Baron Cohen is known for his self-created comic characters including spoof wannabe gangster Ali G and Austrian fashionista Brüno Gehard. He has won two Baftas and three Golden Globes, as well as being nominated for three Oscars and six Emmys.

Full casting is yet to be announced.

Sony Pictures Entertainment and Sonia Friedman Productions are producing the play.

"It is a joy and an honor to be developing this play with Quentin - and obviously quite an adventure," said Tom Rothman, the chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Motion Picture Group, and Friedman. "How lucky we are that one of the great storytellers of our time has chosen to make his theatrical debut.

"His delight in working with actors, fencers, acrobats, musicians and our creative team is infectious, and there is such pleasure in hearing his delicious language come alive and discovering what his world can become on stage. And now we have Sacha Baron Cohen at the heart of it all: a fearless, brilliantly inventive actor with the wit, mischief and daring this role demands."

Tarantino first revealed his plans to stage a play in 2025, saying on the Church of Tarantino podcast it was "all written."

"I'm preparing for it to be a success. If it's a flop, I'll be done very quickly."

Tarantino made his directorial debut in 1992 with Reservoir Dogs, before co-writing, directing and acting in Pulp Fiction, which won him his first Oscar for best screenplay. He went on to direct Kill Bill Volume 1 and Volume 2, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained and more.

Throughout his career, he has won two Academy Awards, two Baftas and four Golden Globes. He has also been nominated for an Emmy and five Grammys.

Tickets for The Popinjay Cavalier are on sale here.