The original Paddington film from 2014 was a surprise hit – and now we’re getting our first look at Paddington 2, the hotly anticipated follow-up.
This time around, the marmalade sandwich-loving bear from darkest Peru is attempting to make himself useful as a window cleaner but seems to be getting into more scrapes than he’s managing to un-dirty panes of glass.
It looks like he’s also going to be getting himself into some shenanigans revolving around “mysterious things” that have been “happening all over town”. He even finds himself riding bareback on a dog. As you do. Or rather, as a bear does.
The story will see Paddington saving up for the perfect gift for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday – a pop-up book he’s seen in Mr Gruber’s antique shop. Its theft is the catalyst for Paddington being drawn into the case.
Packed With British Talent
The film stars Hugh Grant as the main villain, the flamboyantly named Phoenix Buchanan – a washed-up actor. Brendan Gleeson is also added to the cast as strongman and safe-cracker “Knuckles” McGinty who becomes an unlikely ally to Paddington. The rest of the cast includes an assembled batch of the British acting elite – Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, Julie Walters, Sally Hawkins, Imelda Staunton and Hugh Bonneville all return for the sequel alongside Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington.
On this evidence, it looks every inch like it’s going to be as charming as the original.
The film is due to be released on November 10, 2017 in the UK and January 12, 2018 in the US.