“Paddington 3” is officially set to begin shooting in the second quarter of 2022, Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh confirmed in a press conference at Cannes on Tuesday.
Paul King, the director of the first two “Paddington” films, will return to executive produce the third film about the beloved bear, but the film’s director, additional casting updates and location details are still being kept under wraps.
Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton wrote the story for “Paddington 3,” and the screenplay is by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
Studiocanal is celebrating its 30th anniversary, and as part of the company’s presentation out of Cannes, it also announced some other films that would soon begin production. That included the previously announced “War Magician” with Benedict Cumberbatch, to kick off in 2022 with Colin Trevorrow attached to direct; “Cat Person,” starring Nicholas Braun and Emilia Jones, which will begin filming this fall; and “Suddenly” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Vanessa Kirby, shooting on location in Iceland.
The previous two “Paddington” films, directed by King, were not just box office hits but beloved critical darlings. The second film briefly ousted “Citizen Kane” on Rotten Tomatoes as the best reviewed movie of all time, hanging on to a perfect score with no negative reviews until quite recently.
The film stars Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, along with Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville and a rotating cast of characters that has included Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Nicole Kidman, Brendan Gleeson and Julie Walters.
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