Colin Firth will no longer voice Paddington six months before its release

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Last week's disturbing trailer for PADDINGTON likely helped a lot of people make up their mind about the live action/CGI adaption. It looks terrible; I'm talking YOGI BEAR terrible. Well perhaps Colin Firth, who was set to provide the voice of Paddington Bear, thought the same and has actually left the production.

In a statement he said:

It's been bittersweet to see this delightful creature take shape and come to the sad realization that he simply doesn’t have my voice. I've had the joy of seeing most of the film and it’s going to be quite wonderful. I still feel rather protective of this bear and I’m pestering them all with suggestions for finding a voice worthy of him.

A classy exit; though I wish he would tell us that when he watched the trailer he just wiped his hands together and said "I’m out." Firth would have brought something nice to the picture I’m sure and now it’s the waiting game to see who his replacement will be. Director Paul King says Paddington's new voice will be announced in the coming weeks.

The film's live-action cast still includes Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Nicole Kidman. The good news is that the Paddington movie has inspired a delightful horror meme.

Here is the original followed by some of my favorites:

PADDINGTON will feed off children’s tears on December 25th 2014.