Rowan Atkinson back as spoof spy Johnny English

Rowan Atkinson is back as bumbling spy Johnny English in the sequel to his 2003 hit, but despite work on comic classics Not the Nine O'Clock News and Blackadder, the comedian does not find filming much fun.

The 56-year-old, whose television series Mr. Bean also made it to the big screen, was on the red carpet in London at the weekend to promote spy spoof Johnny English Reborn, which hits cimemas in the UAE Thursday.

"I never find filming particularly fun to be honest," he said.

"There isn't a tremendous amount of laughter going on when I'm filming because I tend to take it all far too seriously."

In Johnny English Reborn, "the improbable secret agent" is called back into action when his superiors learn the Chinese premier's life is in danger.

More meat

Director Oliver Parker said that hit spy series like the Bourne thrillers and the arrival of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond in 2006 had provided more source material for the English character.

"We've had several years of Bourne and the new Bond, so that was a little more meat for us to feed on really," Parker said.

"The first movie I suppose was reflecting much more on Roger, [former Bond actor Roger Moore] and here we have those two new spies, and it gave us a lot more to play with I think."

Parker and his cast, including Gillian Anderson as Pamela Head and Dominic West as Simon Ambrose, will be hoping for a repeat of the commercial success of the first movie.

Johnny English, released in 2003, earned $160 million (Dh587 million) in global ticket sales, according to movie tracking website boxofficemojo.com, on a budget estimated at $40 million.

Early reviews have been mixed to poor, according to critic tracker rottentomatoes.com.

Review: Dead on arrival

Was anyone really clamouring for a sequel to the first Johnny English? Not terribly inspired by a series of credit card commercials, the original was no better than competent.

Eight years on, Oliver Parker's sequel, Johnny English Reborn, is an embarrassment: woefully lethargic, boring and unfunny. The attempts of Rowan Atkinson at physical humour look tired and desperate.

The film wastes the talents of Gillian Anderson, Dominic West and the lovely Rosamund Pike.

The Austin Powers movies may have been uneven, but at least they spoofed the James Bond franchise with flair and energy. Dated and dead on arrival, Johnny English Reborn is a disaster on a level with the worst-ever parody of the 007 series, Casino Royale (1967). What on Earth were they thinking?

Don't miss it

Johnny English Reborn releases in cinemas across the UAE Thursday.