‘Paddington in Peru’: Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Rachel Zegler, Emily Mortimer in Talks to Join Cast

Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer are in talks to join the cast of “Paddington in Peru,” the third opus of the beloved bear’s adventures.

Set to start filming on July, the third installment film will also star Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin. Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton will also be back as the voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy, respectively. Filming locations will include the U.K., Peru and Colombia.

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The story will follow Paddington returning to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. Paddington and the Brown Family embark on an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.

This third installment will see Mortimer taking over from Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown. Hawkins, who starred in in “Paddington” and “Paddington 2” said, “For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another, and one can’t get much better than the truly wonderful Emily Mortimer, she is extraordinarily special. She will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own.  However, I am, and will always be in love with Paddington’s world. I already greatly miss my on and off-screen family — the experience of making the first two films has truly been some of the best and most creative times I have had in the world of film. They both gave me so much joy. I will forever hold them so very close to my heart indeed.”

Colman, who won an Oscar for her performance in “The Favourite,” will play the reverend mother, a blithe and sunny guitar-playing nun who runs the home for retired bears. Banderas (“Pain & Glory”) will play Hunter Cabot, a dashing and intrepid riverboat captain who offers to help the Brown family on their Peruvian adventure. Zegler, who won Golden Globe and NBR Awards for “West Side Story,” will play Cabot’s daughter, Gina.

The movie will mark the feature film directorial debut of Dougal Wilson and re-teams Studiocanal with Heyday Films, following their collaboration on the first two films of the “Paddington” franchise. Studiocanal is fully financing and will distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Benelux, Poland,  Australia  and New Zealand as well as through partners in China and Japan. Sony Pictures will distribute in the U.S., Canada and other key international territories including Latin America.

“I am absolutely delighted to be working with such a wonderful cast on the next installment of the ‘Paddington’ story. I was already an enormous fan of our returning actors, but for them to be joined by Olivia, Antonio, Emily and Rachel is beyond thrilling,” said Wilson.

Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh said, “with Dougal at the helm, ‘Paddington in Peru’ will encapsulate all of the heart, humor and warm chaos of the beloved ‘Paddington 1’ and ‘2’ films while taking Paddington and the Brown family on a brand new adventure.”

Marsh said it “seems only fitting that we welcome some new cast and locations to this — a new adventure for us all.”

The franchise’s massive impact on popular culture was displayed during Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in June 2022, when Paddington was seen having tea with the late Queen at the Windsor Castle as part of a sketch commemorating the 70th anniversary of her ascension to the throne.

With budgets believed to be in the $50-million range, the last two “Paddington” movies have been hugely profitable. “Paddington 2” grossed $227.9 million worldwide in 2018, while “Paddington” grossed $282.3 million in 2015.

Wilson previously directed commercials for brands including Apple, Ikea and the BBC, as well as U.K. department store John Lewis’s annual Christmas commercial. He was also nominated by the DGA for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Commercials in 2020, among other laurels.

“Paddington in Peru” is based on the best-selling and internationally adored series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond with a story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton and a screenplay by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont. Heyday Films is producing with David Heyman and Rosie Alison as producers and with Rob Silva as co-producer. Director of the first two films, King serves as executive producer alongside Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan MacRae from Studiocanal and Tim Wellspring and Jeffrey Clifford.

Bonneville is represented by Gordon & French. Colman is represented by United Agents in the UK as well as CAA, Narrative, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole in the US. Banderas is repped by NuCo Media Group and Hirsch, Wallerstein, Hayum, Matlof and Fishman. Zegler is represented by CAA, Narrative, and Freundlich Law. Mortimer is represented by Tavistock Wood, UTA and Lighthouse. Walters is represented by Independent Talent. Broadbent is represented by Independent Talent. Whishaw is represented by Hamilton Hodell. Staunton is represented by ARG Talent. Harris is represent by The Artist Partnership. Samuel Joslin is represented by Curtis Brown.

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