Paul King’s beloved 2015 take on Paddington is coming back for what we hope is a very rare sort of sequel—that is, a worthy follow-up. The upcoming film, which features Ben Whishaw reprising his role as the marmalade-loving bear, isn’t set for U.S. release until next year, but fans of the first film know that the wait may well be worth it.
The sequel finds Paddington comfortably living with the Browns (Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins) and centers on his quest to buy his Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton) a lovely pop-up book for her 100th birthday—and to retrieve it when it’s abruptly stolen. This brief teaser trailer also provides snippets of the franchise’s new villain, played with brazen smarminess by Hugh Grant, as well as Paddington working various “odd jobs”—clumsy attempts at window-washing, specifically—to delightfully comic effect. Overall, this taste of King’s Paddington sequel indicates more of the same—which, as those who caught the wonderful 2015 film, can only be a good thing.
Paddington 2 is set for a Nov. 10 release in the U.K. before dropping stateside on Jan. 12, 2018.
Update, May 30: This post has been updated to include Paddington 2’s official U.S. release date.
