Paddington 3 Will Begin Filming This Summer for 2025 Release

The fate of Paddington 3, or Paddington in Peru, has been in flux for some time, and even as late as February the probability of the Ben Wishaw-voiced bear’s return was in doubt. However, it now looks like it’s marmalade sandwiches all round as the green-light has not only been given but the movie is set to start filming this summer for a 2025 release. According to Deadline, the film will be directed by Dougal Wilson on his feature debut and will see many of the original cast returning.

“We have long been huge admirers of Dougal’s work, his stunning visual creativity, his storytelling, heart, emotion and humour,” Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh and EVP Global Production Ron Halpern said in a statement. “We are so thrilled that Dougal will be directing the third Paddington film. We look forward to bringing Paddington back to Peru for his next big screen adventure.”

“After ten 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,” said previous Paddington director Paul King. “Dougal’s work is never less than astounding: funny, beautiful, heartfelt, imaginative, and totally original. Aunt Lucy once asked us to ‘Please Look After This Bear.’ I know Dougal will do so admirably.”

Related: Paddington in Peru: Famous British Actors Who Could Play the Next Villain

Ben Wishaw Previously Suggested That He Didn’t Know When Paddington 3 Would Happen.

Although it now seems that the answer was just around the corner, back in February actor Ben Wishaw gave Paddington fans the distinct impression that they could have a very long wait to see the return of their favorite Peruvian marmalade lover, as he confessed that he hadn’t seen a script yet. He said:

“I haven’t read this script and I don’t even know when we’re due to shoot it. I don’t know. I thought it would be happening by now, but I don’t know. 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.”

It was 2017 when Paddington made his last big screen appearance, with a sequel having been stuck in development hell ever since. However, Paddington did make a surprise appearance during the celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee when he appearing in a sketch featuring the monarch herself. That may have been a short stop-gap to the production of Paddington in Peru’s production getting underway, but now fans have a definite timeframe of when to expect to see the bear return again.

Currently, there is nothing at all known about the plot of the new movie, other than it will see Paddington returning to his home country of Peru, as can be pretty much deduced from the title. However, with filming on the movie pretty imminent it will probably not be too long before we find out a bit more about what Paddington’s new adventure will entail.