‘Man vs Bee’ Director David Kerr Details Working With Rowan Atkinson, CGI Bee: ‘It’s Moby Dick in Miniature’

variety.com:

K.J. Yossman SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you haven’t yet watched the final episode of “Man vs Bee.”It was three years ago that director David Kerr unexpectedly got a call from an old producer colleague, Chris Clark, with whom he’d worked on 2018’s “Johnny English” sequel “Johnny English Strikes Again.” Clark had been developing an idea with “Johnny English” and “Mr Bean” star Rowan Atkinson and wondered if Kerr would be interested in helming the project.“It was a really simple premise,” Kerr tells Variety. “You’ve got this man in a fancy house full of priceless artwork, with a tiny antagonist.

But I can immediately see that it was potentially a wonderful vehicle for Rowan, and for his unique talent.” The next step was to convene with Atkinson, one of Britain’s most famous and reclusive comedians, in his garden (thanks to COVID-19 restrictions) to discuss Atkinson’s character, Trevor, the show’s tone and “what the bee really meant.”“It was really important to all of us that Trevor shouldn’t just be Mr.

Bean,” Kerr says. “I mean, obviously it’s the same face and body that Rowan brings to both characters. But I think Trevor was supposed to be much more of a real guy, really.

He’s something of an everyman.”There is also no doubt some similarity between Trevor, who “has a decidedly obsessive streak,” according to Kerr, and Atkinson himself.