One of the most iconic comedic characters of all time is making a comeback, albeit in a slightly different format from what we might expect. Mr Bean – played brilliantly by the rubber-faced Rowan Atkinson – has been a global sensation ever since his skits were first released in the 1990s. Even though it has been more than twenty years since we got any new live-action Mr Bean series content, and thirteen since his cinematic escapades in Mr Bean’s Holiday, the character still remains incredibly popular with fans.
Deadline is reporting that a new Mr Bean movie is coming our way, with Rowan Atkinson returning to play the role of the character. The difference being that this new movie will come in an animated format instead and will feature Atkinson in a voice and various grunts capacity. Something which may disappoint many, considering that it was Atkinson’s remarkable portrayal and physical comedy that made the character such a delight to watch.
Atkinson revealed in the same article that the character is quite difficult to portray physically, given the importance of every little visual detail that is required to make his various expressions and action work, and prefers to rather return to just play the character vocally:
It’s easier for me to perform the character vocally than visually. I don’t much enjoy playing him. The weight of responsibility is not pleasant. I find it stressful and exhausting and I look forward to the end of it
Now this would not be the first time the character has appeared in 2D form, as a short animated series was created in the early 2000s. It will be interesting to see if a Mr Bean movie could work in animated format and to see see what animation style is chosen to depict the character.
Personally, I’ve also found Mr Bean worked best in short doses and I found both the live-action movies a little tiring as a result, but people can’t get enough of the character regardless of the format. There is no news yet though on when this new animated Mr Beam will hit cinema screens.
Last Updated: January 7, 2021
Original Heretic
January 7, 2021 at 09:02
Rowan Atkinson is an absolute treasure.
Mandalorian Jim
January 7, 2021 at 12:53
I remember from an interview he did with Graham Norton that he actually isn’t a fan of the filmmaking process, and would rather do theatre or live performances. And to be fair, his Bean character is so focussed on physical comedy, expressions that I’m sure, it’s a slog to perform in front of a camera and redoing shots, again… and again.. and again.