“Borat” creator Sacha Baron Cohen will star in a new film based on a novel by former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Paramount Pictures announced Thursday.

The inspiration for the project is Hussein’s 2000 romance novel “Zabibah and The King” — the story of a wise monarch who falls in love with a commoner. Written under the pseudonym “The Author,” the book was one of four works authored by Hussein.

Baron Cohen’s film adaptation, “The Dictator,” will tell “the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed,” according to a release from the production company.

The 39-year-old British star of the film is best known for his portrayal of fictional characters that include rapper Ali G, Kazakh journalist Borat and most recently, gay Austrian fashion reporter Bruno.

“Seinfeld” writer Larry Charles will direct the movie slated for release in May 2012.

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