So I’ve been doing the #Bales2023FilmChallenge on Twitter and just yesterday for “Movie that gives positive vibes”, my pick was Paddington 2. Is there anyone who doesn’t love Paddington, and desperately needs the joy of that franchise coming back? We learned a few months ago the long-awaited third film would be titled Paddington in Peru, and now we have some new faces we can look forward to, including one Oscar winner who herself makes a lot of people happy.
According to Deadline, Olivia Colman, Rachel Zegler, Antonio Banderas, and Emily Mortimer have joined the Paddington in Peru cast. Yes, please! Colman’s casting is a little too perfect, as she’ll play The Reverand Mother, a cheerful, guitar-strumming nun who runs a retirement home for bears. But do they serve marmalade sandwiches there?
Banderas plays Hunter Cabot, a riverboat captain who helps the Browns find Paddington’s birth parents, while Zegler plays Cabot’s daughter, Gina. Meanwhile, Mortimer replaces Sally Hawkins as Mrs. Brown, which is a bit of a bummer. Then again, Mortimer is pretty great, too, and should do a great job. In fact, Hawkins came right out and said so, issuing a statement on her departure…
“For me, it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another,” said Hawkins, “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.”
Well said.
Paddington wouldn’t be the same without Ben Whishaw voicing him, so it’s good to know that he’ll return. As will Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown. Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, and Imelda Staunton are all in talks to return, as well. Whishaw and Mortimer worked together on Mary Poppins Returns, too.
Dougal Wilson will direct Paddington in Peru when filming begins this July.
