According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sony Pictures has successfully landed the North American theatrical distribution rights to StudioCanal’s highly anticipated Paddington 3, officially titled Paddington in Peru. The U.S. rights for first two installments were previously handled by Warner Bros.
Production on the sequel is expected to begin in July 24, which will take place in London and Peru. It’s still unclear if Ben Whishaw would be reprising his role as the voice of the titular bear.
Who’s Involved in Paddington 3?
Paddington in Peru will be directed by Dougal Wilson in his feature directorial debut after only directing commercials and music video. It is being written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamont (Paddington 1 & 2, The Adventures of Paddington) based on a story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby, and Burton.
Further details about its plot and characters are still being kept under wraps, but the movie will see Paddington “getting into sticky situations in deepest, darkest Peru.” The film is executive produced by Paul King, Tim Wellspring, Jeffrey Clifford, Anna Marsh and Ron Halpern, with David Heyman, Rosie Alison, and Rob Silva serving as a producers.
Paddington is based on the best-selling and internationally adored series of children’s stories by British author Michael Bond, which have sold more than 35 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 40 languages.