Paddington 3 has found a new director and a title, with Paul King being too busy working on Wonka starring Timothee Chalamet. The new director is Dougal Wilson, and the title is Paddington in Peru. Filming will take place in both London and Peru in 2023 (after being pushed from early, then late, 2022).
Wilson is known for directing music videos for the likes of Basement Jaxx, Bat for Lashes, Coldplay, Massive Attack and John Lewis. Paddington 3 will be his feature film debut as director. Paul King is currently in post-production on Wonka, which focuses on how a young Willy Wonka met the Oompa-Loompas. It also stars Olivia Colman and Sally Hawkins.
The Paddington films are based on the books by Michael Bond. The first (released in 2014) saw Peruvian stowaway Paddington being taken in by the Brown family in London, headed by Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville. The villain was played by Nicole Kidman. The sequel (released in 2017) saw Paddington go to jail, where he met a motley crew of prisoners including Brendan Gleeson’s Knuckles McGinty. Hugh Grant played villain Phoenix Buchanan, which deservedly earned him a BAFTA nomination.
Paddington 2 revealed how much Paddington missed his Aunt Lucy, who was still back in Peru, so that will probably be the motivation for a visit back there. It will be fun to see if the marmalade-loving bear will take the Brown family along for the ride. Paddington 2 is one of the highest-rated movies on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 99% positive rating from 250 reviews.
Ben Whishaw voices the titular bear and Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont have written the screenplay for Paddington 3. Paul King’s Wonka, which is believed to be a musical, is planned for release just before Christmas 2023.
If you’re a Paddington lover, check out our guide to the best kids movies.