‘Paddington 3’ Is Officially In Active Development, StudioCanal Is “Working Very Hard On Film 3”
If you’re in need of a small burst of joy today, StudioCanal is here to deliver. The company has confirmed thatPaddington 3is officially in the works, four years after the secondPaddingtonfilm charmed its way into the hearts of movie lovers everywhere.
After years of missing our favorite marmalade-loving mammal, it seems likePaddington 3might finally happen after all. Representatives from StudioCanal issued a statement toVariety, and it’s one we’ve been hoping to hear for a long, long time: “We can confirm StudioCanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and 2.”
There’s been talk about a thirdPaddingtonfilm since2016, but in 2018, we heard that director Paul Kingmight not returnto direct it. That wasconfirmedin 2020, which is sad news because King brought the perfect combination of heart, humor, and whimsy to the first two films, and he leaves a sizable hole in the franchise. (To me, it’s basically the equivalent of Justin Lin leaving theFast and Furiousfranchise after the sixth film.) Although last we heard, King will still be involved withPaddington 3somehow – we’re just not sure exactly how yet. In the meantime, he’s busy directingWonka, Warner Bros.‘Willy Wonka origin moviethat’s slated for a release in 2023.
Variety points out that last week, duringan interview onBBC Radio 2’sTheZoe BallBreakfast Show,PaddingtonactorHugh Bonnevillesaid there was “forward momentum” on a new sequel, and that it was “somewhere on the horizon.” Additional details are still being kept under lock and key – StudioCanal is staying tightlipped about potential plot lines or new characters – but one can only hope that the franchise continues in its exponential excellence, especially in regard to its villains. Nicole Kidman was fine as the baddie in the first film, but Hugh Grant did honest-to-God career-best work as fading actor who frames Paddington for theft.
Ben Whishaw(Skyfall) is expected to return to voice the title role, but with Paul King gone, I’m wracking my brain to come up with another director who might be able to recapture that magic from the first two movies. We’ve talked about this on/Film Daily beforeand came up with Wes Anderson as a potential answer and Taika Waititi as another choice, but Waititi seems especially busy these days, so he seems unlikely. Maybe Anderson would be interested after his upcomingThe French Dispatchfinally comes out? Probably not! But we’ll see.
