We know you don’t need anyone to tell you that the last year has been hard. But also: The last year or so has been hard, huh? Lots of chaos, lots of pandemic, very little marmalade, or the small brown bears who crave it. But no longer—on that last front, at least, as Studiocanal has confirmed that Paddington 3 is, indeed, in the works.
Fans of the franchise will recall that The Second Coming Of Paddington—or Paddington 2, if you’re being informal—arrived three years ago, in early 2018, and immediately became the movie people would forcibly grab you and insist was actually really, really good. And, indeed, Paul King’s story of Paddington Bear, professional criminal, was a deeply charming exploration of whimsy, kindness, and the foibles of the British penal system, i.e., exactly the sort of thing we need to knock the doldrums off ourselves during doldrum-heavy times. Hence our excitement (spurred on by an interview series co-star Hugh Bonneville gave last week) at news that the third installment in the trilogy is in the works, even if we don’t have a release date as of yet.
Specifically, Variety notes that Studiocanal has responded to questions about the film with a definitive, “We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care—as with film 1 and 2.” Of course, things won’t be exactly the same, since King, who co-wrote and directed both films, won’t be directing the third. But at least Ben Whishaw, who also voices Paddington in the franchise’s ongoing Netflix show, is expected to return as the small, frequently befuddled bear.
15 Comments
When I was 7 i got kicked in the head by a donkey. – Slowday, At the DM, United Kingdom, 6 hours ago
This already has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the Criterion 4K three-disc box set is now available for pre-order. Use discount code: Paddington 3.
Looking forward to it. 1 was okay but didn’t like the whole skinning Paddington. 2 was great though. Same with the animated series.
I love both the Paddington movies. Really wonderful films. Warm, funny, charming, sweet, smart… They’re so good! I was thrilled to see that a third is in development, but I don’t know. Without King? Maybe it will work, but my excitement is much diminished by that part of the news.
Its a real shame Paul King isn’t directing this. He’s a true visualist, and can segue with the very very best of them
I wasnt a Paddington kid growing up, mostly because I wasnt really exposed to him (and probably wouldnt have been that intersted regardless) but also partly because my surname is somewhat similar to the name and so was called Paddington constantly. LOVED the films, though…
+1 for the caption.
These films really had no business being as good as they were, particularly the sequel which was just a charming -and this coming from an adult who never had ay interest in Paddington Bear. By that measure, I expect this 3rd installment to be absolutely delightful. Looking forward to this.
These movies have been delightful. They recently have become my youngest sons favorite movie and they are so much fun.
love the idea that Nilus Jnr. insists on wearing a cravat before leaving the house.
what’s the point if King isn’t directing?
Accidentally the most heartwarming and charming trilogy in decades? I’m glad these movies turned out so well.
The movies we truly need, I’ll take another!
I liked that a while back when someone was making fun of Hugh Grant, how he used to be a big movie star and now he’s best known for a sequel to a kid’s film, and Grant responded that it’s the best thing he’s ever been in.
The first two were such heart warming movies. So much charm and innocence.