Fans react to exciting Paddington 3 director and title news

Paddington is back for his third movie, and a director and title have been attached to the new project.

The first two films in the Paddington franchise are considered hit family films, with Paddington 2 being considered one of the best films ever by Rotten Tomatoes. And now, after years of fans’ wishful thinking, StudioCanal and Heyday Films have announced that Paddington 3 is finally coming!

Not only that, but details about the upcoming film have been released, including a title and director. Surprisingly, franchise filmmaker Paul King will not be in this role, and it will be someone new instead.

The new Paddington film, which will be titled, “Paddington in Peru,” will be directed by Dougal Wilson, who is a Grammy-nominated music video and commercial filmmaker. He has worked with bands like Coldplay, and brands like Apple, Ikea, and the BBC, even directing one of John Lewis’ famous Christmas commercials. This will be his feature film debut.

In a statement to Variety, Wilson said, “As a huge fan of the first two films, I am very excited (if not a little intimidated) to be continuing the story of Paddington.

“It’s a massive responsibility, but all my efforts will be focussed on making a third film that honours the love so many people have for this very special bear.”

Fans can speculate that perhaps King is too busy to direct the film himself, as he is currently working on the Warner Bros. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory prequel film with Timothee Chalamet.

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King had this to say about his replacement: “After 10 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.”

What is Paddington 3 about?

Paddington in Peru is likely going to centre around Paddington visiting his native home, which he calls “darkest Peru.” The film will begin principal photography in 2023, filming on location in both the titular Peru, as well as the franchise’s mainstay, London.

Perhaps the film may also call back to Paddington’s recent trip to Buckingham Palace, where he had tea with Queen Elizabeth II for her Platinum Jubilee.

There is no official word on who will be cast, or what the exact plot will be. But we can likely expect the voice of Paddington – Ben Whishaw – to make a return, along with Brown family actors Sally Hawkins and Hugh Bonneville.

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Paul King will remain on the project as an executive producer, and has actually written the story for the film with previous Paddington writers Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton. Therefore, we can likely expect similar shenanigans as from the previous films.

Twitter reacts to Paddington 3 announcement

The Paddington movies are both commercial and critical successes. They have grossed more than $500 million at the worldwide box office. and have also reached cult classic status.

So naturally, fans of the first two films were ecstatic to hear that a third film was coming. And many flocked to Twitter in order to express their excitement:

Some fans were a little confused about the choice in director…

…But considering how the films have been on an upward trajectory since they first began, it’s easy to imagine that the upcoming film will be even better than we expect.