Failing Threequel’s: Will Paddington in Peru suffer the ‘third movie fate’?

On the 8^th of November, our well-known friend in his big blue coat and red hat will return to our screens. Paddington in Peru will be the third instalment of the Paddington universe and will follow the Brown family navigating their way through Peru to find Aunt Lucy. I can only imagine how ridiculous this adventure will be, and I can’t wait.

However, this new adventure brings a plethora of high expectations. Paddington currently has a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Paddington 2 reaches even further to 99%, so fans are hoping that this threequel does not disappoint. 

Despite this, one thing that is almost always guaranteed from a Paddington film is that the overall casting will be incredible. I’ve had full faith in the casting directors ever since hearing Ben Whishaw as the voice of our favourite bear; the awkward bumbling British accent could not be produced by anyone better. Look at the actors in the previous casts: Peter Capaldi, Hugh Bonneville, Hugh Grant, and Jim Broadbent – accompanied by actresses like Nicole Kidman and Julie Walters. The casting of Paddington has delivered every time. Paddington in Peru has been no exception to this rule. Introducing Olivia Colman to the Paddington universe as The Reverend Mother is something I never knew I needed.

There has been some question as to why Sally Hawkins will not be returning to the franchise. She told Variety that “It has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another” and called the new Mrs Brown, Emily Mortimer, “extraordinarily special” – but to this we will just have to wait and see. Still, it has made some fans feel a little uneasy since Sally Hawkins embodied the role so well. It reminds me of the outrageous casting change of Rodrick in the Diary of a Wimpy kid series (but I don’t think any casting change can ever be as disappointing as that one).

Another interesting detail of the third film is the change of directors, with Dougal Wilson taking over from Paul King. King has been responsible for bringing Paddington to life for the first two films, yet it is Wilson who will take the reins on the third – something I’m weary of. King understood the character of Paddington so well that it’s disappointing he won’t have the opportunity to showcase this once more. Although, ever since I discovered that Dougal Wilson is the man responsible for directing those John Lewis Christmas Adverts, the only thing I’m worried about is how many tissues I’ll need to bring to the cinema.

With Paddington’s clumsy, kind-hearted persona and an already devoted fan base, it would be hard to create a film that disappoints. It would be more of a challenge to create a bad film instead of a good one. Perhaps all these cast and production changes is the refreshment Paddington needs to keep him relevant – bearing in mind, he is 62 years old. 

This adventure seems to be in safe hands, but can anything ever really exceed Hugh Grant singing Rain on the Roof wearing a pink prison uniform with full choreography? No, it can’t. But I’ll let them try.Paddington’s new adventure arrives in cinemas on the 8th of November, so just under a month to wait for our favourite bear. In the meantime you can watch the full trailer here and see what you think for yourself:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKgitu25ZAg

Words by Hannah Crouch