Ben Whishaw returns as the voice of the good-natured, if aloof, Paddington bear in the first teaser trailer for the sequel, Paddington 2. The first live-action Paddington movie become a surprise critical darling when it hit theaters back in early 2015/late 2014 (depending on where you live in the world), grossing $268 million against a $55 million budget in the process. Paul King, who co-wrote and directed the film, was recruited to oversee the followup shortly thereafter, with plans for a Paddington 3 already on the table, too.
Paddington 2 picks up with Paddington and his adopted human family, The Browns, as they prepare for the 100th birthday of their Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton). Paddington, in particular, finds a one-of-a-kind pop-up book that he feels would be perfect for Lucy and sets out to buy it, undertaking a variety of odd jobs in order to gain the necessary funding. However, Paddington and the Browns find themselves swept up in another adventure altogether, when said book is stolen and it falls to them to find the thief and bring them to justice.
The Weinstein Company's newly-released U.S. teaser trailer for Paddington 2 (see the video above) revolves around Paddington undertaking one such "odd job," in the form of washing windows around his local neighborhood. As one might expect though, Paddington's good intentions don't necessarily translate into him being equally adept at cleaning windows and give rise to yet another moment of charming slapstick comedy, featuring everyone's favorite Peruvian bear. For those who missed it when it first dropped online, you can also check out the official Paddington 2 teaser poster, below:
The Paddington 2 teaser also provides a sneak peek at some of the new human players in the Paddington sequel, including Hugh Grant as Phoenix Buchanan - a potential antagonist officially described as being "a vain and charming acting legend who has fallen on hard times" - and Brendan Gleeson as "Knuckles" McGinty, a "notorious" safe-cracker with a penchant for baking, it would seem. Also appearing in the teaser are such familiar faces as Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins as Mr. and Mrs. Brown, Julie Walters as the Browns' housekeeper Mrs. Bird, and Peter Capaldi as their not-so-helpful neighbor Mr. Curry.
King's ability to blend idiosyncratic humor with humane storytelling, which he honed earlier in his career by making such offbeat indie films as The Bunny and the Bear, served the first Paddington movie well - and based on the teaser for the sequel, King's charmingly comical touch appears to still be alive and well in Paddington 2. Similar to Aardman Animations' next original feature, Early Man, native UK audiences will get to see the Paddington followup a couple of months before U.S. moviegoers do. However, should the sequel in fact live up to its predecessor, then the added wait will be more than worth it.
NEXT: Early Man Gets a Teaser Trailer
Source: The Weinstein Company
