Paddington 3 Has The Good Taste To Cast The Great Olivia Colman

Time for some fun news! Olivia Colman is joining the "Paddington" franchise. Colman, one of those actors who is great in seemingly everything, will play a role in the upcoming third "Paddington" movie, titled "Paddington in Peru." Now, your first assumption might be that Colman is set to play the latest dastardly villain in the series. Lord knows that was my first thought. But the official announcement neither confirms nor denies that Colman is playing the villain. In fact, she might just end up being one of Paddington's new allies. In any case, it's a fun bit of casting. Everybody loves Paddington. Everybody loves Olivia Colman. Therefore, this is a good match. And Colman isn't alone! The new cast also will include Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer.

THR has the news that Colman is joining the cast of "Paddington 3," aka "Paddington in Peru." But who is she playing? I would assume she's following in the footsteps of Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant and playing Paddington's latest adversary. But all THR will commit to is the following: 

"Sources note that Colman's character will run a retirement home for bears in Peru."

Okay, that doesn't sound very villainous. But then again, maybe Colman's character is corrupt. Paddington's elderly Aunt Lucy is a character living at the retirement home for bears. Maybe she's in danger there and Paddington has to save her. Or maybe I'm putting too much thought into this and Colman is playing a very nice, very kind owner of a retirement home for bears. We'll see.

Meanwhile, Variety is reporting that Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler and Emily Mortimer are also on board for the film. There's no word on who Banderas or Zegler is playing (maybe one of them is the new villain?), but Mortimer is taking over the role of Mrs. Brown, previously played by Sally Hawkins. While Hawkins isn't returning, previous "Paddington" cast members Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris, and Samuel Joslin are back.

Ben Whishaw is also back as the voice of Paddington, and the film will see the beloved character leave London to return to his home of Peru, where he will no doubt dole-out wisdom about being kind while munching on marmalade sandwiches. The "Paddington" movies are wonderful with their witty sense of humor and their kind-hearted narratives. The world is a cold, dark place, gang, and sometimes you need a very polite bear to lift your spirits. So with that in mind, I can't wait for "Paddington in Peru." Paul King, who helmed the first two "Paddington" films, has handed directorial duties over to Dougal Wilson. There's no release date yet, but the film is expected to start shooting in July. We'll likely see it sometime in 2024.