As the beloved brown bear Paddington sets off on a brand new adventure, the team behind Paddington in Peru weighs in on bringing the latest tale to the big screen. Hugh Bonneville, who reprises his role as Mr. Brown, was excited just upon reading the script. “I was delighted that on page one I was chuckling, which is always a good sign,” he says.
Director Dougal Wilson, who takes the helm from Paul King, director of the first two films, understands the responsibility of handling an enduring story and is excited to share Paddington in Peru with the audience. “These films and the character of Paddington himself have become very cherished, beloved and have essentially created a lot of anticipation for a bit more Paddington,” he says. “That’s why I’m really excited for audiences to see the next part of the story that we’ve decided to tell. It’s obviously a huge responsibility and quite nerve-wracking, but I really hope this new chapter will be full of surprises and an appropriate expansion of Paddington’s world.”
Ben Whishaw, who returns to the film series as the voice of Paddington, was more than happy to be back on this journey. “After the success of the first two films, you couldn’t help but feel trepidatious about what the next film might involve. There is also a sense of pressure to not repeat the same thing. But I thought the concept was great because it is much more of an adventure than the other films. Paddington is much more in a position of jeopardy and risk. I thought it was very exciting, very funny, and moving too, so I was super excited by it.”
Emily Mortimer, who joins the rest of the gang as Mrs. Brown, feels like the creative script is the perfect continuation of Paddington’s story. “I just loved the adventure of this script. I thought it was so enjoyable and so inventive,” she says.
Another member of the Brown family is Sam Joslin, returning as Jonathan Brown. Joslin appreciates the wider world that Paddington is placed in with Paddington in Peru. “It felt so much bigger and so much more expansive,” he says. Joslin’s on-screen sister, Madeleine Harris, who plays Judy Brown, was also completely captivated by the brand new tale. “It’s a completely different ballgame with this film, and so it’s super exciting. It’s more adventurous, there’s a lot more action-based scenes, and I’m just really, really excited for this film,” she says.
It’s off to a brand new adventure as Paddington in Peru arrives in Philippine theaters on January 29.