We were all thinking it: Paddington – and Paddington 2, and Paddington In Peru – were all pleasant watches, but they could have done with more swearing. Maybe Paddington could have told Mr. Gruber, “Fuckity-bye” as he left the antique shop; or Mrs Brown could have called the kindly bear an “omnishambles” after he wrecked their Windsor Gardens house for the umpteenth time. Well, good news: Paddington 4 officially has a writing duo, and none other than Armando Iannucci – of The Thick Of It, and Veep, and The Death Of Stalin pedigree – is one half of it, the other being his regular collaborator Simon Blackwell.
The news was confirmed by Variety, who also reports that Paddington In Peru director Dougal Wilson is in talks to return behind the camera for a fourth outing of British bear shenanigans. While Iannucci and Blackwell are known for penning some of the most foul-mouthed creations in comedy history, their appointment continues the Paddington tradition of drawing from British comic greats, following in the footsteps of Paul King and Simon Farnaby (who directed and wrote on the first two films).
Quite what the fourth film will entail remains to be seen – it was announced earlier this year at CinemaCon, but details are currently scarce. Perhaps it’ll involve a farewell to Brown children Jonathan and Judy, with actors Samuel Joslin and Madeleine Harris now in the mid-20s; or maybe it’ll be another globetrotting adventure after Peru took Paddington back to his homeland. Either way, expect Peter Capaldi’s Mr. Curry to have some particularly brutal lines this time. Here’s hoping Iannucci and Blackwell can cook up something great, like a delicious batch of marmalade.
