Johnny English Reborn
| Industry | Film production |
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| Products | Films |
Johnny English Reborn is a 2011 spy-action comedy film helmed by director Oliver Parker and scripted by Hamish McColl, based on a story conceived by William Davies. Serving as the sequel to Johnny English (2003) and the second installment in the Johnny English franchise, this British-French collaboration was produced by StudioCanal, Relativity Media, and Working Title Films, with distribution handled by Universal Pictures. The cast features Rowan Atkinson returning as the titular character, alongside performances from Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, and Richard Schiff.
The film continues to lampoon the tropes of the James Bond series and spy genre conventions, marking the second partnership between Atkinson and Tim McInnerny following their work on Blackadder. Although critical reception was varied, the film achieved a global box office gross of $160 million.
Debuting in the United Kingdom on 7 October 2011, it secured the top position at the domestic box office and subsequently premiered in North America on 21 October 2011. The series continued with the release of Johnny English Strikes Again in October 2018.
Plot
Eight years subsequent to the events of the original film, Johnny English has been undergoing training at a Tibetan monastery as part of his rehabilitation after a mission failure involving protection of Mozambique’s president, which led to his loss of knighthood. He is summoned back by Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton, the new director of MI7, to investigate a planned assassination targeting the Chinese Premier during diplomatic discussions with the British Prime Minister. English collaborates with agent Simon Ambrose, quartermaster Patch Quartermain, and junior agent Colin Tucker.
While in Hong Kong, English encounters Titus Fisher, a former CIA operative who discloses his affiliation with Vortex—the organization responsible for sabotaging Mozambique. Vortex’s secret weapon necessitates three keys held by Fisher and two additional individuals. Following Fisher’s assassination by a killer disguised as a cleaner, possession of these keys becomes contested amid layers of espionage and subterfuge. English suffers public embarrassment when presenting his findings to Pegasus and mistakenly attacks her mother.
MI7 psychologist Kate Sumner assists English in retrieving repressed memories, enabling identification of Vortex operative Artem Karlenko, who masquerades as wealthy businessman Sergei Pudovkin. After being critically wounded by an assassin, Karlenko reveals that the third key resides with a mole inside MI7 before succumbing to his injuries. Suspicion falls on Quartermain, but English soon realizes he has been framed. Pursued by MI7 agents, English escapes to Sumner’s residence.
Sumner uncovers that the assassin was under the influence of Timoxeline Barbebutenol, a mind control drug. When Ambrose arrives to collect Sumner, he reveals himself as the mole and final member of Vortex. English manages to evade capture and persuades Tucker to assist him in infiltrating Le Bastion—a fortress located in the Swiss Alps where crucial talks are scheduled. After activating an emergency signal, English is apprehended but escapes concealed within a body bag and warns Pegasus; however, he is subsequently drugged and subdued under Ambrose’s orders.
Ambrose assigns English as bodyguard to the Prime Minister with instructions to assassinate the Chinese Premier using a lipstick pistol intended for Pegasus. Drawing upon his monastic training, English resists the effects of the drug. Tucker disrupts Ambrose’s communications network, but Ambrose reveals his true allegiance before fleeing after being shot by English. The drug incapacitates English until Sumner revives him with a kiss.
English pursues Ambrose down a mountainside where they engage in combat inside a cable car. After overpowering Ambrose, English falls from the cable car; Ambrose fires at him but is ultimately defeated when English employs his spy umbrella—which functions as a missile launcher—to destroy the cable car, resulting in Ambrose’s demise.
With Vortex dismantled, Queen Elizabeth II restores English’s knighthood. During the ceremony, an assassin disguised as the Queen attempts to attack English but escapes after he inadvertently restrains the actual monarch.
During the end credits, English is seen preparing dinner for Sumner while "In the Hall of the Mountain King" plays.
Cast
- Rowan Atkinson portrays Johnny English, an MI7 agent known for his clumsiness yet good intentions.
- Gillian Anderson appears as Pamela "Pegasus" Thornton, the leader of MI7 and the only Pegasus whose true identity is revealed.
- Dominic West plays Simon Ambrose, an MI7 operative and longtime acquaintance of English.
- Rosamund Pike takes on the role of Katherine "Kate" Sumner, MI7’s behavioural psychologist and English’s romantic interest. Pike previously featured in the James Bond movie Die Another Day.
- Daniel Kaluuya acts as Colin Tucker, an MI7 agent supporting English.
- Richard Schiff is Titus Fisher, a former CIA agent.
- Tim McInnerny plays Patch Quartermain, MI7's quartermaster who uses a wheelchair.
- Pik-Sen Lim appears as the Chinese Killer Cleaner, a Vortex assassin disguised as a domestic cleaner.
- Stephen Campbell Moore portrays the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
- Burn Gorman acts as Slater, an intelligence specialist at MI7 collaborating with Ambrose.
- Togo Igawa features as Ting Wang, English’s mentor and a sleeper agent within MI7.
- Mark Ivanir is Artem Karlenko, a former double agent for the Russian KGB.
- Lobo Chan plays Xiang Ping, the Premier of China.
Lily Atkinson, Rowan Atkinson’s daughter, makes a cameo as a girl whose helmet English takes. Joséphine de La Baume appears as Madeleine, a Vortex operative who distracts English from his duties. Williams Belle portrays Ling, a Vietnamese henchman allied with the Killer Cleaner. Benedict Wong acts as Chi Han Ly, a Chinese official conspiring with Simon to assassinate Xiang Ping. Rupert Vansittart, who previously acted alongside Atkinson in Mr. Bean, plays a wealthy yacht owner. Miles Jupp has a brief role as a technician. Ben Miller reprised his character Angus Bough from the original film but was ultimately cut from the final edit; he later returned in Johnny English Strikes Again.
Production
Rowan Atkinson confirmed on 28 March 2007 that work on a script for the sequel was underway. By April 2010, Universal Pictures officially announced that production would commence for a follow-up set seven years after the first film.
In June 2010, Daniel Kaluuya joined the cast. Around this time, Ben Miller revealed he had not been approached to return as his character. The following month, Gillian Anderson was confirmed to portray MI7 agent Pamela Head.
Filming kicked off on 11 September 2010 in Central London at Cannon Street and continued at locations including Brocket Hall (Hertfordshire), Hawley Woods (Hampshire), Macau, and Hong Kong. Additional scenes were captured in London at The Mall on 25 September 2010. Further shooting took place in Kent along the A299 carriageway and at Cliffs End in Ramsgate.
The soundtrack incorporates the original "Johnny English Theme" in four separate instances. Although Ben Miller shot scenes reprising his role as Bough, these sequences were removed from the final cut.
Car
Johnny English drives a distinctive Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupé equipped with a prototype 9.0 litre V16 engine. This uncommon powerplant was developed during testing phases of the Phantom Coupé but never saw commercial production. The installation of this engine was personally arranged by Rowan Atkinson, making this car unique to the movie.
Release
Johnny English Reborn was originally set to premiere on 29 July 2011 but experienced two postponements, finally debuting on 7 October 2011.
Home media
The movie became available on DVD and Blu-ray combo pack, bundled with the original film, on 14 February 2012 in the United Kingdom and on 28 February 2012 in North America.
Box office
During its opening weekend in the US and Canada, Johnny English Reborn generated around $3.8 million. It earned $7.7 million in the UK, $2.6 million in Australia, and $3.4 million in Germany. By the end of its fifth week, domestic revenues reached $8.3 million, while international takings totaled $151.8 million, culminating in a global gross of $160.1 million.
Critical response
The film's reception mirrored that of its predecessor, garnering mixed critiques. On Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 89 reviewers gave positive feedback, with an average score of 4.9/10, noting a sense of fatigue in the spy parody genre despite some enhancements. Metacritic assigned a score of 46 out of 100 based on 20 critiques, reflecting an average or mixed consensus. Audience surveys by CinemaScore awarded it a "B" grade.
On the Australian program At the Movies, critics offered moderate ratings: Margaret Pomeranz gave it three stars, while David Stratton rated it two out of five stars. Indian critic Nikhat Kazmi from the Times of India provided a positive assessment, complimenting Atkinson's humor with a four-star rating out of five.
Accolades
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Original Song | I Believe in You | Template:Nom |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | Blockbuster of the Year – People's Choice | Johnny English Reborn | Template:Nom |
Sequel
Pre-production for the third installment commenced in May 2017, with its release scheduled for 5 October 2018.[1]
External links
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