With his Borat movie gearing up for release in the UK, Sacha Baron Cohen is already thinking about his next film.

According to Variety, Cohen is developing another reality-style feature, based on a new character he is creating. As that character is a closely guarded secret, no plot details are as yet available.

Cohen will co-write and co-produce the film with Jay Roach, the director of Meet the Parents and the producer of Borat. Filming is to begin next summer.

In the meantime, Hollywood appears to be hedging its bets over whether Borat will be a hit. The film's producer, 20th Century Fox, is initially rolling out the film in the US on only 800 screens, rather fewer than to be expected of a movie with the amount of internet buzz and glowing festival reviews that Borat has attracted. Some sceptics point to Snakes on a Plane, the Samuel Jackson film that had massive buzz on the net, but still earned less than expected.

However, the studio is banking on word of mouth to create excitement for wider release in ensuing weeks. Some say Borat could turn out to be a phenomenon. At the film's Los Angeles premiere last night, kids were dressed like Borat and competed to do their best impersonations, while lines of eager spectators snaked outside the cinema and around the block.