Johnny English 3: Rowan Atkinson to reprise his role in the James Bond spoof

Rowan Atkinson is set to reprise the role of Johnny English in the third instalment of the film. The pre-production work of Johnny English 3 has reportedly begun.

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Atkinson, who is known for his role in Blackadder and Mr. Beans, will play a bumbling and over-confident secret agent who does not know fear or danger. Originated from a series of commercials, Rowan Atkinson's character is basically a bizarre combination of James Bond and Inspector Clouseau.

Despite receiving bad reviews from the critics, the previous two films; Johnny English (2003) and Johnny English Reborn (2011) did really well at the worldwide box office and earned over $160 million each.

According to the English comedy website Chortle, the film is in the talks for last six years. Johnny English Reborn featured Rowan Atkinson, Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, and Richard Schiff.

Last month, Atkinson said he wanted to make a Johnny English movie soon. "We're hoping to make a Johnny English this year, so I certainly haven't turned my back on comedy," the star told The Sun.

No plot or cast details have been revealed yet. The film is scheduled to release on October 12, 2018, in the United Kingdom.

Going by the success of the first two instalments, Johnny English 3 could earn more than $160 million at the worldwide box office and also score big in China in the light of Atkinson aka Mr. Bean's huge popularity in the dragon country.