Rowan Atkinson is returning to Netflix to follow up Man Vs Bee with slapstick sequel series Man Vs Baby.
Rowan Atkinson’s prowess at physical comedy and slapstick shenanigans combined with his malleable rubber face have made him famous worldwide as Mr Bean. One of Atkinson’s biggest influences is French comedian and filmmaker Jacques Tati, and he based much of the humour in 2007’s Mr Bean’s Holiday on Tati’s masterpiece Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday.
It made sense that Atkinson would try to reach the widest possible audience by creating a near silent series for Netflix. Man vs Bee, which Atkinson created with Will Davies and also starred Jing Lusi, Claudie Blakley, Tom Basden, Julian Rhind-Tutt and Greg McHugh, saw him play Trevor Bingley. Trevor’s a down on his luck man who finds himself battling a bee whilst looking after a luxurious house, leading to calamity and chaos. John Hughes wrote a script with a similar premise in the 1990s which could have starred Steve Martin, but it was never produced.
According to Deadline, Atkinson is returning to Netflix for sequel series Man Vs Baby, again created with Will Davies.
The synopsis reads as follows:
Man vs Baby will see Atkinson return as Trevor Bingley alongside another unlikely companion, as he looks after a luxurious London penthouse.
David Kerr is also returning to direct, with Davies also executive producing with Chris Clark.
It was reported earlier this year that Atkinson would film the fourth Johnny English over the summer, although as of yet there are no details about the director, writer or other cast members. The last film, Johnny English Strikes Again, which also saw Ben Miller return as English’s sidekick Bough, was released in 2018.
Man Vs Baby is in production. Man Vs Bee is available to stream on Netflix.
