Rowan Atkinson is back in action as ‘Johnny English 3’ starts production

“Johnny English 3” has reportedly started production that will bring the man who knows no fear, the man who knows the danger, and the man who knows nothing, back to the big screen. With this, Rowan Atkinson will now officially be back for his third foray as the bumbling MI7 agent for Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

How the ‘Johnny English’ movie series fared internationally

The “Johnny English” movie series has fared relatively well at the box office with the first movie scoring big at the international scene for a $160.5 million return against a $40 million budget.

The first movie in the series is directed by Peter Howitt, starred Rowan Atkinson, Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller, and John Malkovich. The relative success of the spy movie parody (released on April 2003) perhaps warranted a sequel to be made.

In the first film, English is called into action after all the MI7 has been killed due directly to English's incompetence in performing his duty. English was tasked to investigate a plot to steal the Crowned Jewels of the British Empire. His misadventure allowed him to discover the true intention of Pascal Sauvage (Malkovich) and it's up to English and his new-found ally Lorna Campbell (Imbruglia) to stop Sauvage.

“Johnny English Reborn” is considered a soft reboot for the franchise.

It was directed by Oliver Parker and starred Atkinson with Gillian Anderson, Dominic West, Rosamund Pike, Daniel Kaluuya, and Richard Schiff. It did well internationally, nearly equalling the total of the first movie but it failed miserably domestically.

In “Reborn,” English is called back into action after a botched mission sent him into exile in Tibet.

MI7 uncovered a plan to assassinate the Chinese Premier. Aided by his new understudy/assistant, Colin Tucker (Kaluuya), English must race against time to uncover the mastermind of this plan.

‘Johnny English’ plot, release date, and cast

“Johnny English 3” will reportedly be directed by David Kerr based on the script penned by “Casino Royale” and “Skyfall” veterans Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

Both movies are part of the “James Bond” franchise and having Purvis and Wade on board will give likely give the latest film in the movie series a sense of Bond-type feel that would, in turn, give Atkinson a lot to play with.

And with the third film in the series reportedly starting production, the man of the moment, Jon Snow of the hit TV series “Game of Thrones” may have some competition. After all, Johnny English may out do him in the category for “knowing nothing.” Move over Snow and bend the knee, English has you in that category.

The plot for “Johnny English 3” has been kept under wraps but it is needless to say that the hapless spy will be called upon to save the world again. The third installment in the movie series is scheduled for release on October 12, 2018.