Grab yourself a marmalade sandwich and get ready for another adventure because Paddington 3 is set to begin shooting in Q2 2022.
Studiocanal announced the sequel Tuesday during the Cannes Film Festival. The feel-good film will have a story by Paddington 1 & 2 triple threat Paul King, Simon Farnaby, and Mark Burton. Burton will then write the screenplay with Jon Foster and James Lamont.
In addition to green lighting Paddington 3, Studiocanal also announced a third season of the TV series The Adventures of Paddington Bear. Heyday Films will be at the front of both projects.
For the longest time, Paddington 2 was the highest-rated film on the movie review site Rotten Tomatoes. Then, in May of this year, Film Authority's Eddie Harrison stole the delightful sequel's crown. In Harrison's review, he claims that Paddington 2 doesn't have the same spirit as the children's books on which it's based, calling the situations Paddington finds himself in "contrived and ridiculous." He also sets his sights on Paddington himself, calling the movie incarnation of the beloved bear "over-confident, snide and sullen," even adding that voice-actor Ben Whishaw sounds like "a member of some indie-pop band coming down from an agonizing ketamine high." Oh, bother. I suppose that some people don't like joy, eh? To each their own and all that.
I, for one, am thrilled to hear that Paddington is coming back for more misadventures and marmalade-fueled mischief. Paddington was a big part of my childhood reading time, and I can't wait to see what he gets up to next. Open your heart wide and let this sequel come barreling in, I say.