Paul King on why he let go of Paddington for Wonka

Paul King gifted us with two of the most charming movies of all time: Paddington and Paddington 2. The studio was keen to get the ball rolling on another sequel, so King was faced with the choice of signing on to direct Paddington 3 or try something new with Wonka. While speaking with THR, the director said that the choice wasn’t an easy one.

“It was really difficult, because I’d spent eight years with the bear and I felt such incredible love for him,” King said. “He’s an animated character, and the design and the love that went into every single follicle was labor intensive and done with such heart. So it’s kind of like sending your kid off to school and going, ‘I hope you’ll be okay!’ But I also know it was the right thing to do.“

Paul King added that “because there’s so much Paddington source material, you could make 50 Paddington movies. I’d be a hundred years old and still doing Paddington.” If there was only enough source material to make two or three films, King said that things might have been different, but he was “really pleased” with were they left Paddington after the second movie and that it was “time to let go and give somebody else a shot.“

King also commented on the reference to Paddington 2 in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent where Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal discuss their favourite movies. “I was sent a page of the script, and I was so completely embarrassed,” King said. “I struggle with anything like a compliment, but it was very funny, I thought. It was too wildly exciting to cope with, and I still can’t cope with it.“

Dougal Wilson took the helm for Paddington in Peru, which finds the titular bear travelling to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thriller adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru. The film is set for a November 8, 2024 release.

Wonka stars Timothée Chalamet in the title role and will tell “the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.” The film will hit theaters on December 15th in the U.S., and you can check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray right here.