The Paddington films have always been imbued with a deep love of cinema. Paul King’s Paddington and Paddington 2 revelled in creating handcrafted textures, both beautifully shot and making nods to classic slapstick comedies, prison escape dramas, and soundstage musicals. Next, Paddington is venturing out of London – make way for Paddington In Peru, a threequel that sees Douglas Wilson make his directorial debut, taking the reins from King, and sending our young furry hero (and the Brown family) on an Amazonian adventure. That change of location means an influx of new cinematic touchstones.
Notably, Wilson mentions an influence from Werner Herzog’s jungle-traversing Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, and Fitzcarraldo. Yes, in a Paddington movie. It comes with the Peruvian territory – literally. “Peru has this incredible variety of landscapes, crazy geology, especially the Andes and the mysterious Incan side,” the director tells Empire. “If you’ve seen [Werner Herzog’s] Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, we go up into similar landscapes. And the people are incredibly friendly.” Part of the mission here is to portray that sense of place and culture. “Obviously there are mopeds and mobile phones and all that, but they do still seem to wear traditional-looking clothes in the rural Andes,” says Wilson. “So I tried to show some Peruvian culture; a Peruvian legend underlies our whole story.” And since Paddington In Peru features singing nuns (including Olivia Colman’s Reverend Mother), expect a bit of The Sound Of Music and Black Narcissus in the mix.
Taking Paddington to Peru will, says voice actor Ben Whishaw, give audiences a different side of the beloved character. “He connects with his country, and his bearishness,” he tells Empire. “It’s the thing that makes him relatable, strangely. On the one hand, he’s learned how to be polite and civil and do the correct British thing. And on the other, he’s a bear who’s clumsy and leaves chaos in his wake. That’s why children like him, because children are in the same position.” With all those Herzog influences, here’s hoping Paddington doesn’t go full Bad Lieutenant.
Read Empire’s full Paddington In Peru feature in the 40 Years Of The Terminator issue – on sale Thursday 26 September. Order a copy online here. Paddington In Peru comes to UK cinemas on 8 November.