Johnny English (2003)

Johnny English is a 2003 spy action comedy film directed by Peter Howitt and written by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and William Davies. Produced by StudioCanal and Working Title Films, the film centres on a clumsy MI7 agent in a mission to find the thieves of the Crown Jewels and retrieve the regalia.

Starring Rowan Atkinson in the title role along with Natalie Imbruglia, Ben Miller and John Malkovich, it is the first instalment of the Johnny English film series and serves as a parody and homage to the spy genre, mainly the James Bond film series, as well as Atkinson's Mr. Bean character. The character is also related to Atkinson's bumbling spy character from a series of adverts in the United Kingdom for Barclaycard in the 1990s. The film was filmed in various locations across England, particularly in London and Buckinghamshire. Specific sites include Mentmore Towers, the Maughan Library, and the Freemason's Hall. The movie's climax was filmed on the French Riviera.

Distributed by Universal Pictures, the film was released theatrically in the United States on 18 July 2003. The film received mixed reviews from critics but was commercially successful and grossed $160 million worldwide against a budget of $40 million. The film was released in the United Kingdom on 11 April 2003 and topped the country's box office for the next three weekends, before being overtaken by X2. It was followed by two sequels, Johnny English Reborn (2011) and Johnny English Strikes Again (2018).