‘Paddington 3’ confirmed to begin production in July

Filming on a third Paddington movie will commence this summer, it has been confirmed.

Cameras will start rolling on Paddington in Peru on July 24, per a new report in Deadline. The title of the sequel had been confirmed last summer, but few details had followed since. Now, though, the previously announced appointment of first-timer Dougal Wilson to the director’s chair has been followed by more information, including that Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton, who worked together on Paddington and Paddington 2, are behind the new film’s story, with the screenplay written by Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.

As the title suggests, the third Paddington film will return the marmalade sandwich enthusiast to his country of birth, “deepest, darkest Peru.” There is no word on whether Ben Whishaw, who voiced the bear in the first two movies, will return; as recently as last month, he told Collider he was unsure whether production was going ahead. Speculation continues as to who will round out the cast, with Florence Pugh expressing interest in a role in an interview with the BBC last week (March 27). Paddington and Paddington 2 grossed over half a billion dollars between them at the worldwide box office.

Paddington’s enduring status as a national treasure in the UK, meanwhile, was highlighted last September when his meeting with Queen Elizabeth II for afternoon tea to mark her platinum jubilee was much replayed in the wake of the monarch’s death. After directing the first two films, King is now handing the baton to Wilson, who is helming his first feature film after cutting his teeth  on music videos and in advertising.

“After ten years of working on the Paddington movies, I feel absurdly protective of the little bear, and I’m delighted that Dougal will be there to hold his paw as he embarks on his third big screen adventure. Dougal’s work is never less than astounding: funny, beautiful, heartfelt, imaginative, and totally original. Aunt Lucy once asked us to ‘Please Look After This Bear.’ I know Dougal will do so admirably.”

The bear himself weighed in on Twitter earlier today (April 3). saying: “I must write to Aunt Lucy to tell her the good news.” No release date has yet been set.