‘Paddington in Peru’: Emily Mortimer To Replace Sally Hawkins; Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, and Rachel Zegler in Talks to Star
The third Paddington film, Paddington in Peru, is finally gaining some momentum behind the scenes and it’s getting ready to shoot this summer. As such, we are getting reports of the first few actors joining the project.
Variety has learned that the film will be recasting the role of Mrs. Brown, as Sally Hawkins is handing it over to Emily Mortimer (The Newsroom); Hawkins confirmed it in a statement:
“For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another, and one can’t get much better than the truly wonderful Emily Mortimer, she is extraordinarily special. She will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own. However, I am, and will always be in love with Paddington’s world. I already greatly miss my on and off-screen family – the experience of making the first two films has truly been some of the best and most creative times I have had in the world of film. They both gave me so much joy. I will forever hold them so very close to my heart indeed.”
In addition, they have also learned that West Side Story breakout star Antonio Banderas and Rachel Zegler are also circling the project as hunter Cabot, a “dashing and intrepid riverboat captain who offers to help the Brown family on their Peruvian adventure”, and Cabot’s daughter, respectively. The Hollywood Reporter broke the news earlier that Olivia Colman, who can currently be seen in Disney Plus’ Secret Invasion, is also in talks with the studio to join the project. Apparently, she will be playing the reverend mother running the retirement home for bears in Peru.
In addition, Hugh Bonneville and Ben Whishaw will be reprising their roles. The studio is also in talks with Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin to return
Paddington in Peru will mark the directorial debut for Dougal Wilson, after Paul King directed the first two before moving over to Warner Bros. to helm Wonka (out this December). Wilson confirmed the casting news in a statement to Variety:
“I am absolutely delighted to be working with such a wonderful cast on the next instalment of the Paddington story. I was already an enormous fan of our returning actors, but for them to be joined by Olivia, Antonio, Emily and Rachel is beyond thrilling.”
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but as the title suggests, the film will see the title bear traveling from London to Peru. Filming will start this July on location in both of those places. StudioCanal is fully financing the project, and producing along with Heyday. They are also handling the distribution in the U.K., France, Germany, Benelux, Australia/New Zealand and Poland, with Sony Pictures releasing it in the rest of the world, except for Russia, China, and Japan.
No release date has been set for Paddington in Peru.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as authors like Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
