10/04/2003

The James Bond spoof comedy, Johnny English [+see also:
trailer
film profile], will be released tomorrow, 11 April, in the UK, and is being used by British tourist boards to attract foreign visitors.
Created especially for one of the UK’s most popular comedians, Rowan Atkinson, Johnny English has been used by the Visit Britain Organisation (formerly known as the British Tourist Authority) as a marketing tool to promote London and Britain, since the film features numerous popular attractions such as the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey. All major locations were reproduced in a map that is available in four languages.
“Johnny English offers us a great opportunity to promote Britain overseas as it showcases many of London’s landmark attractions and iconic imagery that will be instantly recognisable to cinema audiences abroad,” said Visit Britain’s Seren Welsh. “With an estimated 20 per cent of visitors coming to Britain because of something they’ve seen in a movie or on TV, this film with Rowan Atkinson’s unique and highly watchable brand of humour will draw worldwide attention.”
Directed by Peter Howitt (Sliding Doors) and produced by Working Title Films (as was Atkinson’s Mr Bean) Johnny English had its world premiere on 5 April in London. Atkinson, whose hobby is driving racing cars, arrived in an Aston Martin Vanquish that features in the film, to join the rest of the cast – Natalie Imbruglia and John Malkovich. Johnny English is released in the UK by UIP.