‘Paddington in Peru’ Is Hitting Cinemas Soon, and StudioCanal Is Eyeing a Fourth Movie, New Series
Paddington is not only a globally beloved bear and family brand but also good business, presentations by executives of Canal+ group’s StudioCanal unit at the Brand Licensing Europe 2024 convention in London on Wednesday made clear.
Fran?oise Guyonnet, CEO of StudioCanal, kids & family, and Sissel Henno, head of global sales – licensing & retail at StudioCanal, spoke during a keynote event entitled “Turning a Heritage Brand into a Global Phenomenon.” Its description promised a closer look at the “ongoing journey of Paddington from a classic character to a worldwide cultural phenomenon” ahead of the November release of the third film in the franchise, Paddington in Peru.
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And while they emphasized things are still in too early a stage for details, they also had more good news for Paddington’s legions of fans. “We are also working on a new TV series and a new movie to come in 2027, ’28,” the latter of which will mark the 70th anniversary of the franchise, Guyonnet said.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. For Paddington globally, “this year has been really focused around content, experiential and digital strategy to give the best exposure we can to Paddington,” the executive told her audience. Among that has been the April launch of a page on TikTok and the opening of The Paddington Bear Experience in London. “To come in November, two very exciting events. First of all, the launch of new Roblox game,” she continued. “But of course, we are [dealing] with Paddington, so it’s not about money, it’s about kindness. So you are winning prizes the more marmalade you cook.”
Finally, there is the new and third movie. “Of course, the big event for the StudioCanal family is the release of Paddington in Peru,” Guyonnet said.
The feature debut of Dougal Wilson, the award-winning commercial and music video director, sees Paddington travel from his home in London to his native home of “darkest Peru.” Ben Whishaw has long voiced the titular bear, who in past films was seen getting into adventures with the Brown family, whose father is played by Hugh Bonneville. The new movie also stars Olivia Colman, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas and Jim Broadbent, among others.
It is produced by StudioCanal and David Heyman‘s Heyday Films. StudioCanal, which fully backed the movie, will release Paddington in Peru in the U.K. on Nov. 8, followed by other territories. StudioCanal also releases the film in France, Germany, Benelux, Australia/New Zealand, and Poland. Sony Pictures holds rights for the rest of the world, excluding Russia, China and Japan. The U.S. launch is set for Jan. 17, 2025.
The upcoming movie sees Paddington return to his homeland “to visit his beloved aunt Lucy,” explained Henno who promised a lot of Paddington-style fun. She also touted the box office success of the first two films, from 2014 and 2017, which makes Paddington “the biggest independent film family franchise,” the exec highlighted.
The Paddington entertainment train will keep rolling in the coming years, according to the executives. Highlighted Guyonnet: “At the end of next year, big deal, we are launching a musical in the West End with Sonia Freeman, one of the best producers.” Paddington: The Musical will feature music and lyrics by Tom Fletcher, with Jessica Swale as writer and Luke Sheppard as director.
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