Paddington 3, the third installment in the Paddington franchise, will begin filming next year. The first Paddington film was released in the US in 2015, to impressive critical acclaim. In 2018, a sequel was then released that temporarily held a perfect score on Rotten Tomatoes, displacing Citizen Kane as the highest-reviewed film of all time on the site.
Studiocanal’s Paddington franchise, based on the children’s stories of Paddington Bear by Michael Bond, follows the anthropomorphic bear as he finds his way to London, where he is taken in by the Brown family. Hilarity, hijinks, and heartwarming moments ensue as Paddington adjusts to life among humans. The franchise has produced two films that have blown away audiences and critics alike, surprised at the quality of the children’s movies. Both films were directed and co-written by Paul King and produced by David Heyman. They star Ben Whishaw, who voices Paddington, and live-action performances from Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, and more. An upcoming Paddington 3 was confirmed earlier this year in February.
As reported by Comicbook, Studiocanal announced during a presentation at Cannes Film Festival that Paddington 3 would begin filming in the first half of 2022. The story will be developed by King, Mark Burton, and Simon Farnaby, who all have writing and/or story credits on the earlier installments. The script itself will be penned by Burton, alongside Jon Foster and James Lamont. Heyman himself has cast doubt on King’s position to direct but has stated the importance of having King involved in the story. There have been no official announcements regarding the cast, but it’s safe to assume that Whishaw will return to voice Paddington.
Although King directed the first two films, it is unlikely that he will direct the third, especially given his slot as the director for the upcoming Willy Wonka prequel film, which will also be co-written by him and Farnaby. No mentions have been made about the plot; however, whether or not Paddington 3 will continue the upward trend of growing critical acclaim per release is the big question. The first film was nominated for two BAFTAS, including Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay. Paddington 2 rose to even more acclaim, earning 3 BAFTA nominations, and is considered one of the best films of the 2010s, no matter the age group.
Paddington seemed to have revived a genre of film that hasn’t emerged at the height of popularity in decades—the combination of animation and live-action. It hasn’t been since hits such as Who’s Framing Roger Rabbit and Space Jam—which is also getting the highly-anticipated revival treatment this month—that animated/live-action hybrid films made for children broke out into the mainstream. Hugh Grant, who starred in Paddington 2, has defended the films’ high acclaim even though they are geared towards children, calling the sequel perhaps the best movie he’s ever been in. Only time will tell whether or not Paddington 3 will live up to that standard.
Source: Comicbook