Paddington 2 star Hugh Bonneville recently revealed that he told the film's director, Paul King, that the film wasn't going to work.
Bonneville recalled expressing doubts over the beloved family film's prospects in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "[Paddington 2] was really hard work and a lot of the time felt like it was having teeth extracted," he said. "I absolutely recognize that it’s a masterpiece, but I honestly didn’t think it was going to be. I remember saying to Paul [King, director], this isn’t going to work. And how wrong I was and, as you said, it’s about the best film ever made."
"But it was a tough gig because Paul worries away at each scene," Bonneville continued. "We reshot several scenes because he wasn’t satisfied, and luckily he had a producer with the genius of David Heyman to say, 'Ok, we’ll do that.' So the reason it is as brilliant as it is is because of Paul King. And obviously the amazing animations and collaborators as well, but really, if he’d settled for second best, it would be a second-best film. But he really cared and really, really worked, and his imagination never stopped. I’d hate to be his wife because his imagination is constantly on the go."
Despite its surprisingly grueling shoot, Paddington 2 opened to overwhelmingly positive reviews, even earning a perfect Rotten Tomatoes score at one point. The film, which (like its predecessor) is based on a series of children's books by Michael Bond, held a 100% rating for several weeks and toppled Citizen Kane as the most well-reviewed movie on the review aggregator website. Both movies were subsequently overtaken by classic 1934 comedy It Happened One Night in the adjusted rankings.
StudioCanal announced a third Paddington film was in the works in July 2021. The upcoming sequel will see King and Paddington 2 co-writer Simon Farnaby team up with franchise newcomer Mark Burton to develop the story, which will then be fleshed out by Burton and fellow screenwriters Jon Foster and James Lamont. King won't be sitting in the director's chair this time around, however, with Dougal Wilson calling the shots, instead.
Wilson, an award-winning commercial and music video filmmaker, was named Paddington 3's director in June 2022. The sequel also received an official title, "Paddington in Peru," as part of the same announcement. Cameras are set to roll on Paddington in Peru in 2023, with filming taking place in both London and Peru.
Paddington in Peru does not yet have a release date.
Source: THR