If there's one thing the world needs right now, it's more Paddington. Last week the film's star, Hugh Bonneville, mentioned in an interview with BBC1 that there was "forward momentum" on the project. Variety is reporting that the reps from Studiocanal have confirmed that a third installment to the series is in the works.
“We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and 2.”
The same reps also confirmed that there was no other real news to share on the project at this time, but we'll take this small ray of hope amidst all the other muss and fuss going on right now.
Previous Paddington films have been significant box office successes, with the first film earning $280m and the second bringing in $225m despite the struggles the Weinstein company was forced to auction off the project to Warner Bros. following its bankruptcy.
The films follow the title character, Paddington, on his misadventures through London, and are based on the hugely popular children's stories of the same name. Their popularity largely hinges on their purity and their ability to put forward a kind of warmth that connects with both young and old viewers alike. Each film relies on a combination of live-action and digital animation, with the latter illustrating one of the best orange opening scenes in history.
Studiocanal also produces a television series called The Adventures of Paddington that play a part in the overall franchise. The show was announced back in 2017 (prior to the release of the sequel) and released worldwide on Nickelodeon in 2020. While the films are also aimed towards kids, the Nickelodeon series focuses on a much younger demographic (but we won't judge you if you binge it with your kids). The series currently features 26 episodes of the Bear's misadventures.
