The long-awaited Paddington in Peru is lining up an all-star cast. Antonio Banderas, Rachel Zegler, and Emily Mortimer are in talks to join the cast of the latest installment of the beloved franchise. Variety reports that the trio of actors are circling the film, the third entry in the series based around the classic children’s books by Michael Bond.
While Banderas and Zegler‘s roles in the film remain unrevealed, Mortimer will be taking over the role of Mary Brown from Sally Hawkins, who starred in the first two films. Says Hawkins, “For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another, and one can’t get much better than the truly wonderful Emily Mortimer, she is extraordinarily special. She will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own.” The casting news comes on the heels of the recent announcement that Oscar-winner Olivia Colman is joining the cast of Paddington in Peru, which will see the titular bear caught up in an adventure in Peru when he goes to visit his Aunt Lucy at the Home for Retired Bears.
Who Are The New ‘Paddington’ Cast Members?
Spanish actor Banderas is well-known to audiences for roles in Philadelphia, Interview with the Vampire, The Mask of Zorro, and the Spy Kids series; he is also a frequent collaborator with director Pedro Almodóvar, and was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in Almodóvar‘s 2020 film Pain and Glory. He recently voiced the title character in last year’s acclaimed Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and can next be seen in the long-awaited Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. A relative newcomer, Zegler starred as Maria in Steven Spielberg‘s remake of West Side Story, and played the villainess Anthea in this year’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods. She has a large slate of films on the way, including the Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Marc Webb‘s remake of Snow White, Kyle Mooney‘s disaster comedy Y2K, and the Apple animated feature Spellbound. British actor Mortimer has appeared in a number of acclaimed films. including Lovely & Amazing, Match Point, Mary Poppins Returns, and Relic. She recently wrote, directed, and starred in the British miniseries The Pursuit of Love, and can next be seen in the upcoming Apple TV series The New Look, based on the life of Christian Dior.
Paddington in Peru will be directed by Dougal Wilson, in his directorial debut. In addition to the four newcomers discussed above, the film will star Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Madeleine Harris and Samuel Joslin, with Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton reprising their voice roles as Paddington and his Aunt Lucy.
Paddington in Peru will begin filming in July.
via Collider