According to reports, Dougal Wilson has been selected as the director of Paddington 3, which is now officially titled Paddington in Peru. Wilson joins the franchise following the departure of filmmaker Paul King, who directed both previous episodes to critical acclaim and is now working on Wonka, starring Timothée Chalamet.
The StudioCanal and Heyday Films series is based on the popular Paddington Bear character, who appears in more than 20 novels by British author Michael Bond. The original 2014 film Paddington followed the young Peruvian bear Paddington as he searched for a home in London. He met the generous Brown family, who granted him a temporary home when he found himself stranded and alone at Paddington Station. Paddington 2, published in 2017, saw him comfortably established with the Brown family and a well-liked part of the town, following him as he took on a series of odd jobs in order to buy the ideal present for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, only to have the gift ended up being stolen.
The first two Paddington films, which starred Ben Whishaw as the titular bear, received near-universal acclaim from critics and grossed over $500 million worldwide. The premise and actors of the threequel’s sequel are being kept under wraps. The script was written by Mark Burton, James Lamont, and Jon Foster and was based on a tale by Burton, King, and Simon Farnaby. King will also serve as an executive producer on the film, which will begin shooting next year in both London and Peru, with StudioCanal providing full funding.
Dougal Wilson, a DGA and Grammy Award-nominated commercial and music video filmmaker, makes his feature directorial debut with this film. Casarotto Ramsay & Associates represents Wilson.
