Though Paddington 2 came out five long years ago, the little marmalade-loving bear has been quite busy recently, what with his appearance in Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee and all. What he hasn’t been busy with is a sequel. For incomprehensible reasons, director Paul King opted to go make Wonka, leaving his beloved bear in the lurch.
But finally—finally!—there’s news about Paddington 3. The Hollywood Reporter brings word that commercial director Dougal Wilson will take the reins for the third installment of Paddington’s adventures, which has a somewhat worrying title: Paddington in Peru.
For those who may have forgotten, Paddington originally traveled from Peru to his new home in London, so this is, I guess, a bit of a homecoming. But it’s hard not to be a bit anxious about how a series that refers to the bear’s original home as “darkest Peru” is going to handle this change in location. One can certainly hope for the best, as Paddington himself sure would. And Paddington 2 is one of the most loving, big-hearted movies ever made, so presumably the new director will keep that in mind as he ventures off to Paddington’s homeland.
King is still involved in the film; he and returning Paddington writers Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton provided the story. The script is by Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont. Paddington was originally created by children’s book author Michael Bond.
There has been no word on which, if any, Paddington cast members will return, but the bear simply couldn’t be himself without Ben Whishaw (Bond’s perfect Q) providing the voice. Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Grant, Julie Walters, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Richard Ayoade, and Brendan Gleeson are just a few of the actors who also appeared in or provided a voice for Paddington 2.
Paddington 3 will begin filming next year.
