Ben Whishaw Has A Worrisome Non-Update Regarding Paddington 3
"Paddington" utterly delighted audiences in 2014 when the curious little bear made his way to the big screen after being adapted from the popular Michael Bond stories. A sequel followed in 2017 and was generally considered to be one of the best children's story adaptations to film to date.
In the first film, the marmalade-obsessed bear, Paddington (Ben Whishaw), made his way from the jungles of "Darkest Peru" to the jolly streets of London where he was taken in by the Brown family. They served as his protectors as the evil taxidermist Millicent Clyde (Nicole Kidman, in a deliciously devilish performance) tried to make the raincoat-wearing bear a part of her collection.
In "Paddington 2," the loveable bear ended up in prison, wrongfully accused, as he tried to get a present for his aunt's birthday. He attempted a great escape, while his adoptive family sought to clear his good name. Both films were directed by Paul King, who gained fame by helming the cult British TV series "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace" and "The Mighty Boosh."
Since the first film amassed a staggering $282,370,135 at the worldwide box office, and the second film earned a $227,978,523 worldwide take, according to Box Office Mojo, a sequel seemed destined to be in the cards. Coupled with the exemplary reviews of the two films — "Paddington" earned a 97% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and "Paddington 2" pulled off a near-perfect 99% fresh score on the aggregate site – film fans would clearly love more playful bear adventures. However, the actor behind the sweet character, Ben Whishaw, offered a worrisome non-update regarding the sequel's status.
Ben Whishaw hasn't heard about a start date for Paddington 3 yet
In an interview with Collider, "Paddington" voice actor Ben Whishaw offered an update about the movie's second sequel that may disappoint fans of the adorable franchise. He said, "I haven't read this script and I don't even know when we're due to shoot it ... It's gone silent in the way that sometimes these things do. Maybe that just means they're still working on it, or maybe it means it's not happening, or you just don't know."
In the summer of 2022, a sequel titled "Paddington in Peru," suggesting the bear would return to his home in South America, was announced by The Hollywood Reporter. It was said that director Paul King would be stepping down from helming the franchise as he was working on the prequel film "Wonka" for Warner Bros. Commercial director Dougal Wilson was to make his feature film debut on the sequel.
"After 10 years of working on the Paddington movies, I feel absurdly protective of the little bear, and I'm delighted that Dougal will be there to hold his paw as he embarks on his third big-screen adventure," King said of the handing of the baton over to Wilson. "Dougal's work is never less than astounding: funny, beautiful, heartfelt, imaginative and totally original." Filming was supposed to take place in London and Peru in 2023, and fans are still hoping it comes together so the filmmakers can film the Peru-set sequel this year.