It might be hard to believe – as you've probably watched Paddington 2 multiple times since its release, so it always feels fresh – but it has been seven years since it was released in cinemas.
Paddington in Peru finally arrives in UK cinemas this Friday (November 8) after the long delay for a new movie. However long it took, though, Hugh Bonneville was always hopeful that the third movie would happen.
"Obviously, the pandemic got in the way, and then there were all sorts of behind-the-scenes ups and downs, but at the heart of it was always Dougal Wilson doggedly with his storyboard and his ideas and constantly revising them," he told Digital Spy.
"Our amazing producer Rosie Alison said, 'This is gonna happen, we just need to get all our ducks in a row'. We finally got there, and it's lovely to see this over the line and out there. The feedback we're beginning to get is really lovely and positive."
Related: Paddington 3 cast respond to Mrs Brown recasting
Alison added: "I'm an optimist like Paddington, so I always believed it would happen. It was always just going to take its time until we had it right, until we had the right script or we could find the right director.
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"There was the little matter of Covid in the middle that delayed things a bit, but it wasn't a project to rush at after Paddington 2. We couldn't make this film without it having all due consideration."
It's entirely fair that the Paddington 3 creative team had their fears over rushing a follow-up to Paddington 2, one of the most beloved movies of all time.
Understandably, Dougal Wilson – who took over from Paul King as director – had his nerves over the new movie. Bonneville was full of praise for his new director, though, and the strong first reviews appear to agree.
Related: Paddington in Peru review
"It felt very different, particularly with Dougal's nerves bless him because he said, 'How am I ever going to match what Paul created' but he has," Bonneville praised.
"He's not only stepped into those very big shoes but he's filled them beautifully and added his own flavours and tone. There's some visual ideas in it, which are gloriously fresh."
For Wilson, he was just trying to deliver what fans would want from Paddington 3 and not thinking about "putting my stamp on it".
"It was a terrifying prospect to try and live up to the first two films because they are held in such high regard, and I've certainly tried my hardest," he continued.
Related: Why isn't Sally Hawkins in Paddington 3?
"There was many things about the first two films that I absolutely loved, including Paul's visual ingenuity and the tone and the different layers you can enjoy the film at. So I was just trying to continue in that vein and what you see is what emerged."
Wilson wasn't the only change for the new movie, as Emily Mortimer took over from Sally Hawkins as Mrs Brown, and the cast spoke to Digital Spy about Mortimer's debut.
Paddington in Peru is released in UK cinemas on November 8 and in US cinemas on January 17, 2025.
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
