The recent Paddington films have reeled in healthy box office returns and critical acclaim, so it’s no surprise to hear that everyone’s favourite bear (sorry, Pooh) has his own animated TV series in the works.
Per Empire, an animated Paddington series is in development, with star Ben Whishaw in line to reprise his role as the voice of the marmalade-loving bear. The show will simply be titled Paddington, and will be predominantly aimed at a pre-school audience.
Nickelodeon will air the series, with David Heyman‘s Heyday Films producing. Adam Shaw will direct the series. Jon Foster and James Lamont (The Amazing World Of Gumball) will develop and write the show.
Heyman, a longtime producer of the Paddington and Harry Potter movies, had this to say about the project: “It is a joy to bring this uniquely life-enhancing bear to a whole new audience of younger children. We are thrilled that the inimitably brilliant Ben Whishaw will continue to voice Paddington“.
What does this mean for the in-development Paddington 3, you ask? Well, previous director Paul King is still not coming back, unfortunately. He’s set to helm Warner Bros.’ new take on Willy Wonka instead. Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton are reportedly working on the Paddington threequel script, which has been adapted from a story by King. The search for a new director continues.
More Paddington of any kind is obviously good news, and Wishaw returning for the series is a coup. Now we’ll wait and see if the series can capture the same magic the films have.
#Peace.Love.Paddington
