Johnny English is coming back. Why? More money, more exposure, more, um, well, more hilarity maybe? To be quite honest I don’t know why Johnny English is coming back. It’s almost like trying to reuse a dried, crusted old washcloth that’s been left and forgotten in the corner for a number of years. You might be able to do something with it but chances are that it’s not nearly as good as it used to be. Years of being left alone, disused, and without a purpose have left it as little more than a faded remnant of what it once
Johnny English 3 Begins Production: We’ll Pass...
Johnny English 3 Begins Production: We’ll Pass...
- 8/7/2017
- by Wake
- TVovermind.com
Summer is coming to an end and the 2016-17 TV season is just around the corner (not to mention football and more football). So it’s a good time to cram in a whole collection of shows and movies on Netflix before your schedule gets so full you won’t know what to do with yourself. Some exciting additions are a couple Fast and Furious movies, No Country for Old Men and Funny Or Die Presents: Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal: The Movie, which stars Jonny Depp as Trump. Check out the list. Find a comfortable spot and begin watching. New to Netflix August 1 The American Side An Inconvenient Truth Apex: The Story of the Hypercar Beethoven’s Christmas Adventure Big Daddy Black Widow Critical Condition Deadfall Destination: Team USA Funny Or Die Presents: Donald Trump’s Art of the Deal: The Movie The Family Man The Fast and the Furious...
- 8/1/2016
- by David Eckstein
- Hitfix
Original series coming to Netflix in February, include Judd Apatow's "Love," starring Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs; "Fuller House;" and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny," the sequel to the 2000 Oscar-winning Ang Lee movie.
You can also catch up with the first season of "Better Call Saul" and the final season of "Mad Men."
Also debuting, several 2015 films, including the well-reviewed indie "Dope" and French director Gasper Noe's controversial "Love" (not to be confused with the Apatow comedy series!)
Here's the full list of what's new on Netflix in February 2016.
Available Feb. 1, 2016
"A Picture of You" (2014)
"Armageddon" (1998)
"Better Call Saul": Season 1
"Charlie's Angels" (2000)
"Collateral Damage" (2002)
"Cruel Intentions" (1999)
"A Faster Horse" (2015)
"Full Metal Jacket" (1987)
"Game Face" (2015)
"Jennifer 8" (1992)
"Johnny English" (2003)
"The Little Engine That Could (2011)
"The Lizzie Borden Chronicles": Season 1
"Losing Isaiah (1995)
"Masha's Tales": Season 1
"My Side of the Mountain" (1969)
"Para Elisa" (2012)
"Pokémon: Xy":...
You can also catch up with the first season of "Better Call Saul" and the final season of "Mad Men."
Also debuting, several 2015 films, including the well-reviewed indie "Dope" and French director Gasper Noe's controversial "Love" (not to be confused with the Apatow comedy series!)
Here's the full list of what's new on Netflix in February 2016.
Available Feb. 1, 2016
"A Picture of You" (2014)
"Armageddon" (1998)
"Better Call Saul": Season 1
"Charlie's Angels" (2000)
"Collateral Damage" (2002)
"Cruel Intentions" (1999)
"A Faster Horse" (2015)
"Full Metal Jacket" (1987)
"Game Face" (2015)
"Jennifer 8" (1992)
"Johnny English" (2003)
"The Little Engine That Could (2011)
"The Lizzie Borden Chronicles": Season 1
"Losing Isaiah (1995)
"Masha's Tales": Season 1
"My Side of the Mountain" (1969)
"Para Elisa" (2012)
"Pokémon: Xy":...
- 1/25/2016
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
Ewan McGregor, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Goldblum, Oliver Platt, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany, Aubrey Plaza, and Johnny Depp. With a cast like that, Mortdecai should be one of the most buzzed about films of 2015. So, why does it feel like a massive flop waiting to happen? I found the first trailer to be funny in a broad sort of way, but this new international trailer makes me feel like this is a rehash of Johnny English, Austin Powers, and every other film inspired by Peter Sellers as Inspector...
- 12/24/2014
- by Alex Maidy
- JoBlo.com
There have been plenty of bumbling crime-fighters throughout the years. Pink Panther, Johnny English, Oss 117, Frank Drebin. All are respected for being ridiculous while still, somehow, saving the day. And now there’s Johnny Depp as Charlie Mortdecai — filling out the cult figure from the 1970s Kyril Bonfiglioli books with far better names than this movie got. (Seriously, would you rather go see Don’t Point That Thing At Me or Mortdecai? Exactly.) The trailer offers a classic comic take on the absurd police figure. Guaranteed Depp’s character gets locked out of a building without his pants. It’s that kind of movie. Mortdecai is in theaters January 23rd.
"Johnny Depp is the Pink Panther for the ‘Mortdecai’ Trailer" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School...
"Johnny Depp is the Pink Panther for the ‘Mortdecai’ Trailer" was originally published on Film School Rejects for our wonderful readers to enjoy. It is not intended to be reproduced on other websites. If you aren't reading this in your favorite RSS reader or on Film School...
- 11/12/2014
- by Scott Beggs
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Just last month we reported on Dad's Army, an adaptation of a comedy series from the United Kingdom that ran on BBC from 1968 to 1977, taking place during World War II in 1944 as the Allies are poised to invade France and finally defeat the German army. The film stars Bill Nighy, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Toby Jones, Tom Courtenay, Michael Gambon and many more in the film from Johnny English director Oliver Parker. Production is underway in Yorkshire and the first photos of the cast have surfaced online showing off the Home Guard (volunteers ineligible for military service) at Walmington-on-Sea. Look! Here's the first photos from Oliver Parker's Dad's Army from HeyUGuys: Dad's Army is directed by Oliver Parker (Johnny English, St Trinian’s) and written by Hamish McColl (Mr. Bean’s Holiday, Johnny English Reborn), based on the BBC TV series of the same name. The Home Guard of Walmington-on-Sea has...
- 10/24/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
The man who brought Johnny English to the United States from across the pond is back with a big screen adaptation of a classic British sitcom. Dad's Army is a series that ran on BBC from 1968 to 1977, taking place during World War II in 1944 as the Allies are poised to invade France and finally defeat the German army. And now Deadline reports director Oliver Parker is working on a feature film adaptation of the show with an impressive cast that includes Bill Nighy in the lead with Catherine Zeta-Jones, Toby Jones, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon. All of these actors in a UK comedy? Sounds good to me. In what sounds like a British version of Sgt. Bilko, the film follows the Home Guard (volunteers ineligible for military service) in Walmington-on-Sea with the mission of patrolling the Dover army base as a way to raise their spirits. Shaking things up...
- 10/9/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Oliver Parker will direct a British cast in a feature film based on characters from popular British TV comedy Dad's Army, including Bill Nighy (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Love Actually), Catherine Zeta Jones (Side Effects, Chicago, The Legend of Zorro) and Toby Jones (The Hunger Games, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows). Universal Pictures International, through its division Universal Pictures International Production has acquired worldwide rights to the film. The feature film is written by Hamish McColl, directed by Oliver Parker (Johnny English Rebornand produced by Damian Jones. It is Universal Pictures presentation of a DJ Films production. The
read more...
read more...
- 10/8/2014
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
StudioCanal has secured deals with two of China’s biggest subscription VOD provides, Youku Tudou and BesTV.
Youku Tudou, China’s biggest online video platform, has signed a multi-year agreement to handle Svod rights to more than 50 titles owned by French production-distribution powerhouse StudioCanal.
Titles including Mulholland Drive, The Pianist and Terminator 2: Judgement Day will be made available through Svod to Chinese audiences in the coming months.
Allen Zhu, svp at Youku Tudou said: “Our subscription service has grown 379% in revenue in Q2 2014 year on year. This deal will undoubtedly strengthen our service offering.”
Matthieu Zeller, evp of international marketing, distribution and business development at StudioCanal, said it was hoped that the deal will be just the first stage of closer collaboration with our Chinese friends.”
The deal was negotiated by Mathieu Gondinet, Svp international TV and library distribution, for StudioCanal and Angela Xiong, Executive Director, Movie Center for YoukuTudou.
BesTV
BesTV...
Youku Tudou, China’s biggest online video platform, has signed a multi-year agreement to handle Svod rights to more than 50 titles owned by French production-distribution powerhouse StudioCanal.
Titles including Mulholland Drive, The Pianist and Terminator 2: Judgement Day will be made available through Svod to Chinese audiences in the coming months.
Allen Zhu, svp at Youku Tudou said: “Our subscription service has grown 379% in revenue in Q2 2014 year on year. This deal will undoubtedly strengthen our service offering.”
Matthieu Zeller, evp of international marketing, distribution and business development at StudioCanal, said it was hoped that the deal will be just the first stage of closer collaboration with our Chinese friends.”
The deal was negotiated by Mathieu Gondinet, Svp international TV and library distribution, for StudioCanal and Angela Xiong, Executive Director, Movie Center for YoukuTudou.
BesTV
BesTV...
- 9/8/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Director Peter Chelsom on Hector, Pegg, Miley Cyrus, Syd Field, live action PG movies and Being There...
Peter Chelsom started life as an actor, before moving behind the camera when he hit 30. His films have included Hear My Song, Funny Bones, The Hannah Montana Movie, Serendipity and The Mighty. His latest? The big screen take on Hector And The Search For Happiness. And over a bowl of soup, he spared us some time for a chat...
Let's start at the beginning! I’m a great fan of your first film, Hear My Song, which was always a bit of a tricky one to track down.
Thank you! There was a DVD re-release, that was really did well. They did a great job on it.
Well, let’s start there. How much control do you have over your films once they’ve left a cinema, and headed to home formats?
It varies.
Peter Chelsom started life as an actor, before moving behind the camera when he hit 30. His films have included Hear My Song, Funny Bones, The Hannah Montana Movie, Serendipity and The Mighty. His latest? The big screen take on Hector And The Search For Happiness. And over a bowl of soup, he spared us some time for a chat...
Let's start at the beginning! I’m a great fan of your first film, Hear My Song, which was always a bit of a tricky one to track down.
Thank you! There was a DVD re-release, that was really did well. They did a great job on it.
Well, let’s start there. How much control do you have over your films once they’ve left a cinema, and headed to home formats?
It varies.
- 8/15/2014
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Deadline reports that Working Title Films has acquired the theatrical rights to Enid Blyton’s Famous Five series, paving the way for a possible family-friendly film franchise. The deal was settled through the publisher Holder, a subsidiary of Hachette.
In the pre-j.K. Rowling days, Enid Blyton was the great British children’s novelist; her series, which began with Five on a Treasure Island in 1942 and followed the adventures of five kids of various school holidays, ran through 21 novels and received immense critical success.
There have been several film and television adaptations of the Famous Five series, including two British...
In the pre-j.K. Rowling days, Enid Blyton was the great British children’s novelist; her series, which began with Five on a Treasure Island in 1942 and followed the adventures of five kids of various school holidays, ran through 21 novels and received immense critical success.
There have been several film and television adaptations of the Famous Five series, including two British...
- 7/25/2014
- by Jackson McHenry
- EW - Inside Movies
It’s been a little while since we heard anything about Sacha Baron Cohen’s spy comedy Grimsby, which Now You See Me director Louis Letterier is set to direct for Sony. As it turns out, the film was still working on pulling together a cast, and now we’ve learned that the film has just enlisted the diverse talents of four great actors. Signing on for Grimsby are Hercules actor Ian McShane, Homeland‘s David Harewood, Precious star Gabourey Sidibe and English comedian Johnny Vegas.
The roles of each actor are being kept under wraps, but Grimsby focuses on a British black ops spy (Mark Strong) who finds his life in danger and is forced to call on his idiotic football hooligan brother (Baron Cohen) in order to survive. Baron Cohen scripted the film along with Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph, Cedar Rapids) and Peter Baynham (Borat, Bruno).
Baron Cohen...
The roles of each actor are being kept under wraps, but Grimsby focuses on a British black ops spy (Mark Strong) who finds his life in danger and is forced to call on his idiotic football hooligan brother (Baron Cohen) in order to survive. Baron Cohen scripted the film along with Phil Johnston (Wreck-It Ralph, Cedar Rapids) and Peter Baynham (Borat, Bruno).
Baron Cohen...
- 6/10/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Exclusive: Producer and former Baywatch star Alexandra Paul and Meyers Media Group (Mmg) have announced the casting on the spoof spy in the run-up to Cannes.
Mmg represents world rights to The B Team and makes its production debut. The company is working with Joseph Cohen of American Entertainment to arrange financing.
UK filmmaker Chris Cottam will direct the fictitious romp about TV actors from a cancelled show who reunite to take down an arch-criminal.
Years after the show was used by the CIA to gather intelligence during promotional tours at the end of the Cold War, the Agency is blackmailed by a villain and discovers he loved the old show.
The Agency summons the actors to get close to the evil-doer and take him down. The conceit of the film, styled in the vein of Austin Powers and Johnny English, is that the show was Baywatch. The B Team will feature original cast members playing their real-life...
Mmg represents world rights to The B Team and makes its production debut. The company is working with Joseph Cohen of American Entertainment to arrange financing.
UK filmmaker Chris Cottam will direct the fictitious romp about TV actors from a cancelled show who reunite to take down an arch-criminal.
Years after the show was used by the CIA to gather intelligence during promotional tours at the end of the Cold War, the Agency is blackmailed by a villain and discovers he loved the old show.
The Agency summons the actors to get close to the evil-doer and take him down. The conceit of the film, styled in the vein of Austin Powers and Johnny English, is that the show was Baywatch. The B Team will feature original cast members playing their real-life...
- 4/30/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Contrary to popular demand, Ricky Tomlinson is to return as hapless football manager Mike Bassett 13 years after the original was released. But why?
Remember that sudden confusion you felt in the pit of your stomach back in 2005 when you realised that Mike Bassett: England Manager, the immediately forgotten 2001 footballing comedy starring Ricky Tomlinson, had been deemed worthy enough to be turned into an ITV sitcom?
No, of course you don't. To remember how confused you felt back would mean that you remembered the Mike Bassett sitcom. And that would be silly. Because that would mean remembering that Mike Bassett: England Manager existed, too. And surely nobody's got the time or the inclination to commit that sort of intrinsically inconsequential fluff to memory.
So, since nobody alive likes, cares about or remembers either the Mike Bassett film or the Mike Bassett sitcom, it seems a bit strange to hear that a...
Remember that sudden confusion you felt in the pit of your stomach back in 2005 when you realised that Mike Bassett: England Manager, the immediately forgotten 2001 footballing comedy starring Ricky Tomlinson, had been deemed worthy enough to be turned into an ITV sitcom?
No, of course you don't. To remember how confused you felt back would mean that you remembered the Mike Bassett sitcom. And that would be silly. Because that would mean remembering that Mike Bassett: England Manager existed, too. And surely nobody's got the time or the inclination to commit that sort of intrinsically inconsequential fluff to memory.
So, since nobody alive likes, cares about or remembers either the Mike Bassett film or the Mike Bassett sitcom, it seems a bit strange to hear that a...
- 3/18/2014
- by Stuart Heritage
- The Guardian - Film News
Strictly Come Dancing hit a peak audience of 11.3 million last night (December 7) during the quarter-finals of the BBC One dancing competition.
An average audience of 10.3m (44.7%) tuned in at 7.10pm to see the remaining six couples take to the dancefloor in a bid to win a place in the semi-final.
Over on ITV, The X Factor was up 640,000 from last week, with 8.29m (35.5%) watching Luke Friend, Sam Bailey, Rough Copy and Nicholas McDonald sing in the semi-final at 8.15pm.
Back to BBC One, Atlantis pulled in 4.07m (17.5%) at 8.15pm as the drama moves closer to the end of its first series, while Casualty attracted 3.37m (14.7%) at 9pm.
A quiet Saturday night on BBC Two saw the semi-final of the UK Snooker Championship bring in 890k (3.8%) at 7pm, followed by a repeat of Never Mind The Buzzcocks with panellists including Rita Ora and Labrinth, which attracted 520k (2.3%) at 9.30pm.
Back on ITV,...
An average audience of 10.3m (44.7%) tuned in at 7.10pm to see the remaining six couples take to the dancefloor in a bid to win a place in the semi-final.
Over on ITV, The X Factor was up 640,000 from last week, with 8.29m (35.5%) watching Luke Friend, Sam Bailey, Rough Copy and Nicholas McDonald sing in the semi-final at 8.15pm.
Back to BBC One, Atlantis pulled in 4.07m (17.5%) at 8.15pm as the drama moves closer to the end of its first series, while Casualty attracted 3.37m (14.7%) at 9pm.
A quiet Saturday night on BBC Two saw the semi-final of the UK Snooker Championship bring in 890k (3.8%) at 7pm, followed by a repeat of Never Mind The Buzzcocks with panellists including Rita Ora and Labrinth, which attracted 520k (2.3%) at 9.30pm.
Back on ITV,...
- 12/8/2013
- Digital Spy
It seems that director Paul Feig has found the actress that he wants to play the first lead in his upcoming spy comedy Susan Cooper, but if you know his most recent work then it won't be a name that surprises you. The Wrap has reportedly learned from multiple sources close to the new production that Melissa McCarthy is now in talks to take one of the lead roles in the movie. What's strange is that the source doesn't specify what role McCarthy is up for. Earlier reports about the project said that the movie will be a two-hander, but didn't specify the gender of the female spy's partner. Feig wrote the original screenplay for Susan Cooper himself, and while there aren't any plot details currently available, you shouldn't be expecting a spoof like Johnny English or Spy Hard. Instead, the movie is said to be a more realistic comedy...
- 7/25/2013
- cinemablend.com
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
In the grand scheme of things in the detective procedural genre, the idea of a blind detective who relies on his other heightened senses, and an almost mystical sixth sense that allows him to relive crimes like a method actor doesn’t sound all that odd. So the revelation that Johnnie To’s quirky cop project is in fact a ribald comedy that pokes fun in liberal doses actually came as something of a surprise.
The film stars Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, in their seventh collaboration, as an unlikely detective duo – him blind and prone to clumsiness (at times it feels like we’re being invited to laugh at his misfortune a touch too much) and her a besotted sidekick with promising skills who acts as his foil and his aide. She employs him to help her find a missing childhood friend,...
In the grand scheme of things in the detective procedural genre, the idea of a blind detective who relies on his other heightened senses, and an almost mystical sixth sense that allows him to relive crimes like a method actor doesn’t sound all that odd. So the revelation that Johnnie To’s quirky cop project is in fact a ribald comedy that pokes fun in liberal doses actually came as something of a surprise.
The film stars Hong Kong superstars Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, in their seventh collaboration, as an unlikely detective duo – him blind and prone to clumsiness (at times it feels like we’re being invited to laugh at his misfortune a touch too much) and her a besotted sidekick with promising skills who acts as his foil and his aide. She employs him to help her find a missing childhood friend,...
- 5/20/2013
- by Simon Gallagher
- Obsessed with Film
These days a lot of studios are reaching back into their library of older properties, dusting them off and attempting to bring them to the big screen. Disney is looking at pulling out their 1981 superhero action comedy Condorman and bringing it back to life for the big screen.
The story for the film was inspired by Robert Sheckley's The Game of X, and Condorman follows comic book illustrator Woodrow "Woody" Wilkins who transforms himself into the superhero he draws. He's asked by the CIA to assist in an operation in Istanbul, "upon arriving in Istanbul, he meets a beautiful Russian named Natalia Rambova, who poses as the Russian civilian with whom the exchange is supposed to take place, but it is later revealed that she is in fact a Kgb spy. Woody does not tell Natalia his real name, and instead fabricates his identity to her as a top...
The story for the film was inspired by Robert Sheckley's The Game of X, and Condorman follows comic book illustrator Woodrow "Woody" Wilkins who transforms himself into the superhero he draws. He's asked by the CIA to assist in an operation in Istanbul, "upon arriving in Istanbul, he meets a beautiful Russian named Natalia Rambova, who poses as the Russian civilian with whom the exchange is supposed to take place, but it is later revealed that she is in fact a Kgb spy. Woody does not tell Natalia his real name, and instead fabricates his identity to her as a top...
- 10/9/2012
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
To celebrate classic Universal movies Johnny English, Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead and the recently-released Paul and Johnny English Reborn being available on Blu-ray and DVD, Digital Spy and Universal Pictures UK are giving five lucky people the chance to win copies of the five hilarious films on DVD. Relive the manic adventures of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as they police the streets of Britain's dangerous countryside, hitchhike across the country with an alien and battle zombies on the way to the pub in the three films of the Simon Pegg collection, (more)...
- 9/17/2012
- by By Jay Seery
- Digital Spy
Exclusive: Hot British comedy format Spy is crossing the pond. ABC is planning to develop an adaptation of the 2011 Sky 1 comedy produced by Hat Trick Prods. The original series’ creator Simeon Goulden is in negotiations to write the U.S. version, which is expected to get a put pilot commitment from ABC. ABC Studios and Hat Trick will produce, with Goulden and Hat Trick’s Jimmy Mulville executive producing. The original series (trailer below) follows hapless single father Tim (Darren Boyd) who, trying to impress his horribly precocious nine-year-old son, quits his job as a junior sales assistant in a computer shop but then gets accidentally recruited into the British intelligence agency MI5. The series, which echos such bumbling spy franchises as Get Smart and Johnny English, chronicles his attempts to balance his secret life as a trainee agent with his chaotic domestic life. After a successful six-episode first-season run,...
- 8/15/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Gillian Anderson hasn’t had a ton of luck in the time since The X-Files. Therefore, she failed to do that many big projects, but she has been keeping busy and is turning back to hunting down supernatural and other mysteries with I’ll Follow You Down. Richie Mehta‘s sci-fi mystery drama, I’ll Follow You Down already [...]
Continue reading Gillian Anderson Joins Sci-Fi Mystery I’LL Follow You Down on FilmoFilia.
Related posts: Gillian Anderson in Martha Gellhorn biopic Gillian Anderson Blames “Dark Knight” For Poor “X-Files” Takings Johnny English 2 Poster: Gillian Anderson...
Continue reading Gillian Anderson Joins Sci-Fi Mystery I’LL Follow You Down on FilmoFilia.
Related posts: Gillian Anderson in Martha Gellhorn biopic Gillian Anderson Blames “Dark Knight” For Poor “X-Files” Takings Johnny English 2 Poster: Gillian Anderson...
- 5/30/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Peruvian director Ricardo de Montreuil, who popped up in Hollywood’s radar with his short film The Raven is now set to direct a screen test for Gael Garcia Bernal. We reported back in February that free spirited actor Bernal will likely star as legendary Zorro in 20th Century Fox’s upcoming ‘futuristic reboot’ of the masked [...]
Continue reading Ricardo de Montreuil in Talks to Direct Zorro Reborn on FilmoFilia.
Related posts: Gael Garcia Bernal is Zorro Reborn Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia To Write Zorro Reboot First Photo From Johnny English: Reborn...
Continue reading Ricardo de Montreuil in Talks to Direct Zorro Reborn on FilmoFilia.
Related posts: Gael Garcia Bernal is Zorro Reborn Matthew Federman and Stephen Scaia To Write Zorro Reboot First Photo From Johnny English: Reborn...
- 3/8/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Rowan Atkinson is trying to overcome the depression caused by the critical mauling of his last film by becoming a villain - he's playing Lord Voldemort in the new Harry Potter film. The British 48-year-old star had to check into a rehabilitation clinic in America after last year's Johnny English was slammed by critics - even though it did relatively good business at the box office. However, the rubber-faced funnyman has decided to expand his repertoire by signing up for the part of evil Voldemort in the upcoming The Goblet Of Fire, which is due for release in 2005. A source comments, "Its a very major career change for Rowan. He has been looking to spread his wings and branch out into other roles. "He doesn't want to be the nice guy or the rubber-faced chap forever." Atkinson's character has previously appeared only as a spirit, but is brought by to life by "death eaters" in the Goblet Of Fire, which will follow this year's third Potter installment, The Prisoner Of Azkaban.
- 1/7/2004
- WENN
Johnny English star Rowan Atkinson crashed his car at high speed Sunday - at a Aston Martin owners track race. The funnyman's V8 Zagato hurtled off the track at Mallory Park in Leicestershire, England at 161 kilometers per hour (100 miles per hour) - but managed to escape the high speed incident unscathed. An onlooker says, "He had been doing really well. But he spun off and was trying to rejoin the race when he was hit by another car."...
- 5/6/2003
- WENN
Opens
Friday, April 11 (U.K.)
LONDON -- The rather old-fashioned, innocent humor of the British spy comedy "Johnny English" might lack sophistication, and it does steer away from the more ribald elements of the "Austin Powers" spy spoofs. Yet there are enough laughs to suggest it will be a likely Easter hit in the United Kingdom. The Working Title production should work as well in the United States, where it is slated to open in July.
This cheerful spoof of the much-loved James Bond films was, in fact, scripted by the writing team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who penned the original screenplays for the last two Bond films. However, its star bears absolutely no resemblance to the British spy known to million of moviegoers.
Comedian Rowan Atkinson is best known to international audiences through his bumbling Mr. Bean character as well as a series of comedy cameos, including the inept vicar in "Four Weddings and a Funeral". He is a very intelligent and erudite man -- as demonstrated in his earlier British television work, like the "Blackadder" series -- and with "Johnny English" makes an agreeable move from physical comedian to sophisticated comic performer.
Johnny English (Atkinson) is a minor desk-bound agent at the British Secret Service whose ineptitude leads to the demise of its top agent, Agent Number One. When the rest of the agents are killed off in a bomb blast at Agent Number One's funeral (security handled by one Johnny English), the Secret Service top brass are left with only one agent -- the keen but awful English.
When the queen's Crown Jewels are stolen from under his nose at a reception at the Tower of London, English leads the search to track down the criminal mastermind with the assistance of his junior partner, Bough (an excellently underplayed performance by Ben Miller), and undercover Interpol agent Lorna Campbell (Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia).
The villain turns out to be Frenchman Pascal Sauvage (a lesson in overacting by John Malkovich, with a performance and accent that will do little to improve diplomatic relations with France). Sauvage is plotting to become king of England. English's disastrous investigations, which include parachuting onto a hospital that he mistakenly believes is part of Sauvage's evil empire, cause him to be suspended by the Secret Service. He is persuaded by the comely Campbell to return to the case and exposes Sauvage's plans just as he is to be crowned king in Westminster Abbey.
Atkinson is a classic rubber-limbed physical comedian, playing English as endearingly inept, a naive character never aware of the disasters that follow him around. Imbruglia is fine as the rival agent, though she really isn't given enough to do.
Director Peter Howitt keeps proceedings simple and amusing, with plenty of playful digs at the spy genre. There are few real belly laughs in "Johnny English", but there is enough humor to keep an audience smiling for almost 90 minutes. The film marks another probable financial success for Working Title, which seems to have cornered the market in British comedy able to work on an international stage.
JOHNNY ENGLISH
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and Studio Canal present a Working Title production
Credits:
Director: Peter Howitt
Screenwriters: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, William Davies
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Mark Huffam
Director of photography: Remi Adefarasin
Music: Edward Shearmur
Production designer: Chris Seagers
Editor: Robin Sales
Costume designer: Jill Taylor
Cast:
Johnny English: Rowan Atkinson
Lorna Campbell: Natalie Imbruglia
Pascal Sauvage: John Malkovich
Bough: Ben Miller
Pegasus: Tim Pigott-Smith
Prime Minister: Kevin McNally
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Friday, April 11 (U.K.)
LONDON -- The rather old-fashioned, innocent humor of the British spy comedy "Johnny English" might lack sophistication, and it does steer away from the more ribald elements of the "Austin Powers" spy spoofs. Yet there are enough laughs to suggest it will be a likely Easter hit in the United Kingdom. The Working Title production should work as well in the United States, where it is slated to open in July.
This cheerful spoof of the much-loved James Bond films was, in fact, scripted by the writing team of Neal Purvis and Robert Wade, who penned the original screenplays for the last two Bond films. However, its star bears absolutely no resemblance to the British spy known to million of moviegoers.
Comedian Rowan Atkinson is best known to international audiences through his bumbling Mr. Bean character as well as a series of comedy cameos, including the inept vicar in "Four Weddings and a Funeral". He is a very intelligent and erudite man -- as demonstrated in his earlier British television work, like the "Blackadder" series -- and with "Johnny English" makes an agreeable move from physical comedian to sophisticated comic performer.
Johnny English (Atkinson) is a minor desk-bound agent at the British Secret Service whose ineptitude leads to the demise of its top agent, Agent Number One. When the rest of the agents are killed off in a bomb blast at Agent Number One's funeral (security handled by one Johnny English), the Secret Service top brass are left with only one agent -- the keen but awful English.
When the queen's Crown Jewels are stolen from under his nose at a reception at the Tower of London, English leads the search to track down the criminal mastermind with the assistance of his junior partner, Bough (an excellently underplayed performance by Ben Miller), and undercover Interpol agent Lorna Campbell (Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia).
The villain turns out to be Frenchman Pascal Sauvage (a lesson in overacting by John Malkovich, with a performance and accent that will do little to improve diplomatic relations with France). Sauvage is plotting to become king of England. English's disastrous investigations, which include parachuting onto a hospital that he mistakenly believes is part of Sauvage's evil empire, cause him to be suspended by the Secret Service. He is persuaded by the comely Campbell to return to the case and exposes Sauvage's plans just as he is to be crowned king in Westminster Abbey.
Atkinson is a classic rubber-limbed physical comedian, playing English as endearingly inept, a naive character never aware of the disasters that follow him around. Imbruglia is fine as the rival agent, though she really isn't given enough to do.
Director Peter Howitt keeps proceedings simple and amusing, with plenty of playful digs at the spy genre. There are few real belly laughs in "Johnny English", but there is enough humor to keep an audience smiling for almost 90 minutes. The film marks another probable financial success for Working Title, which seems to have cornered the market in British comedy able to work on an international stage.
JOHNNY ENGLISH
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures and Studio Canal present a Working Title production
Credits:
Director: Peter Howitt
Screenwriters: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, William Davies
Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Mark Huffam
Director of photography: Remi Adefarasin
Music: Edward Shearmur
Production designer: Chris Seagers
Editor: Robin Sales
Costume designer: Jill Taylor
Cast:
Johnny English: Rowan Atkinson
Lorna Campbell: Natalie Imbruglia
Pascal Sauvage: John Malkovich
Bough: Ben Miller
Pegasus: Tim Pigott-Smith
Prime Minister: Kevin McNally
Running time -- 87 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 4/16/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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