Olivia Colman takes on guitar-playing nun role in Paddington In Peru

Oscar-winning actress Olivia Colman will take on the role of a nun in Paddington In Peru.

A trailer for the third in the series of films, with This Is Going To Hurt actor Ben Whishaw in the lead role as the voice of Paddington Bear, shows Colman as the guitar-playing Reverend Mother trying to help the fictional animal character find his Aunt Lucy in the Amazon rainforest.

The 2024 movie sees the Brown family and Paddington, who live together in London, travel to the South American country so the cartoon bear can visit Lucy, voiced by The Crown star Imelda Staunton.

At the start of the official trailer, the hat-wearing bear, from “darkest Peru”, has returned to Paddington Station to use a passport photo machine and discovers “headwear is not permitted”, including his favourite marmalade sandwiches which he keeps under his hat.

So Paddington eats his lunch and while struggling a bit with his eyesight, he pushes his face up to the glass of the photo machine and gets spun off the chair, ending up with less than flattering images of himself.

In a voice-over, while Paddington receives his blue British passport, Whishaw can be heard saying: “Dear Aunt Lucy, I have very important news, we’re coming to visit you. The Browns are coming to Peru.”

The teaser than shows scenes including Mary Poppins Returns actress Emily Mortimer as Mrs Brown appearing to check out Spanish actor Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot, who the family travels with on a boat.

Mortimer says: “Oh what a handsome … boat.”

The family, including Downton Abbey’s Hugh Bonneville as patriarch Henry Brown and Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown and Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, then arrive at the Home for Retired Bears where Paddington cannot find Lucy.

The Reverend Mother, who along with other nuns looks after the bears, informs him she has “set off on some sort of quest, deep in the jungle and we have no idea where she is”.

She also tells Paddington and the Browns that she has “faith that you will survive” while having her fingers crossed and laughing before they try to find Lucy.

Other moments are shown, including Colman strumming a guitar and trying to fly a plane, Banderas running from a big boulder alongside Paddington in what seems like an ancient temple, and issues on board the boat.

Based on the series of children’s stories written by British author Michael Bond about a bear from Peru who wears a red hat and blue coat, production took place in London, Peru and Colombia for the latest movie, which is produced by Heyday Films and developed by StudioCanal.

The first film received an Outstanding British Film Bafta and adapted screenplay nods at the 2015 ceremony, and the follow-up Paddington 2 also garnered the same nominations, alongside a supporting actor mention for Hugh Grant as the thief Phoenix Buchanan.

A short film, voiced by Whishaw to celebrate the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, scooped a Memorable Moment TV Bafta last year following the monarch’s death.

It saw the cartoon bear visiting Buckingham Palace for afternoon tea and the late Queen producing a marmalade sandwich from her handbag, and aired on the BBC during Platinum Jubilee: Party At The Palace with comedian Simon Farnaby, who co-wrote Paddington 2 with Paul King, appearing as a footman.

King was the writer and director of the first two movies, but has been credited with a story by mention for the latest instalment. Sally Hawkins, who used to play the Brown matriarch, was replaced with Mortimer.

Paddington In Peru comes out on November 8 in cinemas.