Paddington 3 is officially happening  

Break out the celebratory marmalade sandwiches: Paddington 3 is now in the works.

EW has confirmed that Studiocanal is currently developing a third film about the adventures of everyone's favorite polite bear. A third Paddington has reportedly been in the works for years, but Variety officially broke the news Wednesday, with a studio rep saying in a statement: "We can confirm Studiocanal is working very hard on film 3 with the utmost craft and care — as with film 1 and film 2."

Ben Whishaw voiced the small ursine hero in 2014's Paddington and 2017's Paddington 2, both of which have received near-universal acclaim. Paul King directed and co-wrote the first two films, based on Michael Bond's books, and back in 2018, producer David Heyman said that King was unlikely to return to direct the third, although he would remain involved in some capacity. (King is currently directing Wonka, Warner Bros.' upcoming Willy Wonka prequel.)

In addition to Whishaw, the first two films starred Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Michael Gambon.

In 2018, Whishaw told EW he would happily return for a third film, although he said he "can't imagine what it would be like" to make a Paddington film without King.

"I absolutely love doing Paddington," he said at the time. "It takes a lot of time, and each time I've done it, it's taken the better part of a year. But… I would love to do another one."

Of course, the question remains as to who might join the cast of Paddington 3 as the film's theatrical villain. Nicole Kidman faced off against our furry hero in the original film, while Hugh Grant, her costar The Undoing, memorably tap-danced his way through the second.

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