The first Paddington film, and especially last year’s Paddington 2, are such delights that director Paul King has quickly become a very popular man in Hollywood. He’s been linked with a myriad of projects, so much that it was previously reported that he’s unlikely to return for Paddington 3. But he looks to have found his next project.
Per THR, King has signed on to direct the fantasy film Time’s Fool at Fox Searchlight, which is based on Glyn Maxwell‘s 2002 novel, Time’s Fool: A Tale In Verse. The project will re-team King with writer Jon Croker, who contributed drafts to both Paddington films, as well as producer David Heyman.
The novel follows a character named Edmund Lea, who has been cursed to ride a ghost train every day of his life except for seven New Year’s Eves, when it instead pulls into his hometown.
“I’ve always been attracted to films which use magical ideas to explore real human emotions. And so when, one rainy afternoon, Jon poured me a cup of tea and told me the story of ‘Time’s Fool’, I was immediately hooked”, said King. “It’s a captivating tale of wonder and heartbreak which sets the pulse racing and the imagination on fire. David, Jon and I will do our best not to mess it up”.
Croker went on to add:
“When I first read Glyn’s book 12 years ago, I simply couldn’t put it down — it’s romantic yet realistic, funny yet sad, epic yet intimate, and above all, profoundly human. Paul is so good at finding cinematic ways of expressing deep feelings that this felt like the perfect fit for his unique talents”.
This is likely the project that producer Heyman mentioned to Collider a few months ago when he confirmed that King likely wouldn’t return for a third Paddington movie. He mentioned a “secret” project the two were working on, and Time’s Fool is likely exactly that.
King showed his huge ability at the helm of Paddington, and he could likely direct in any genre and thoroughly succeed, but helming a fantasy film seems like an especially good fit. His visual panache and love of kinetic movement should work very well, and it instantly makes Time’s Fool a project to watch very closely.
#Peace.Love.TimesFool
