Following a remarkable stint at the box office which saw the marmalade-loving bear pull in close to $210 million, StudioCanal has its proverbial hand hoovering over the greenlight for a Paddington 2.
Word comes by way of Variety, who report that the company along with producer David Heyman are contemplating the ways in which they could continue the story of the furry back-packer. But a sequel is far from set in stone just yet, with StudioCanal boss Olivier Courson apprehensive about fast-tracking a follow-up simply to cash in on the original’s popularity.
“We have to be selective, work with strong brands, top talent, take the time we need,” Courson told Variety. “[But] obviously, the result on Paddington is a strong incentive to us and the partners on the movie to work on a sequel, and a strong incentive for Studiocanal to continue in this area. Paddington has been our biggest bet. Even the development costs, such as creating the bear, were significant. But it shows we can be ambitious in this area of family entertainment, even if it brings us into more direct competition with US studios.”
Given that a deal is still yet to be signed, there’s no word on whether Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters or Ben Whishaw — who lends his voice to the bear itself — would make a return. Still, if StudioCanal were to push ahead with a Paddington 2, one would imagine that the cast would be more inclined to reprise their roles for the sequel should the company secure director Paul King for another outing.
We’ll keep you posted on the story of Paddington 2 as it develops, and for more on everyone’s favorite globe-trotter, be sure to check out our own glowing review.
