Paddington in Peru cast: Who's returning for the sequel – and the major star who left

Paddington in Peru is finally about to be released in British cinemas but the third instalment of the bear’s saga is arriving without a popular former cast member.

Fans have had their appetites whet with the release of the trailer, which shows how the Brown family will travel to South America to meet Paddington’s Aunt Lucy, though it has to be said reviews of the movie are mixed.

“We went with great trepidation about making a third film,” said producer Rosie Alison. “We thought hard about doing it and we were never going to do it unless we felt there was a real reason for it to be. We dug deep to try and find the right story.”

Dougal Wilson has directed the latest film. Meanwhile, Paul King, who was behind the first two, is not returning and will instead focus on Wonka.

Wilson said: “In the third film, it was very appropriate to return to Peru but this time take his London friends and community with him and have an adventure there and, in doing so, fill in some of the missing pieces.”

Here is what fans can expect.

Paddington in Peru cast

Paddington will again be voiced by Ben Wishaw, while Imelda Staunton will join the cast to play Aunt Lucy.

For the live action parts, the main cast is as follows:

Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown

Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown

Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown

Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown

Julie Walters as Mrs Bird

Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber

Olivia Colman as The Reverend Mother

Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot

Carla Tous as Gina Cabot

Who is not returning for Paddington in Peru?

As well as King, another staple of the first two films will not return, with the role of Mrs Brown being recast.

Sally Hawkins has left the cast and has been replaced by Emily Mortimer as Mary.

Hawkins has confirmed it was nothing personal. A statement released last year read: "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.”

Paddington in Peru release date

Paddington in Peru is released on Friday, November 8 in the UK.

What type of bear is Paddington? 

Paddington is a spectacled bear – the only species native to South America, which is also known as the Andean bear.

The bear took its name for the marking on its face which resembles a pair of glasses.

Paddington is on the shorter end of the spectrum, with spectacled bears usually five to six feet high, and they usually live up to 25 years.

According to National Geographic, the species are omnivores – but nothing was mentioned about the bears having a particular love for marmalade sandwiches or a fondness for hats.

A write-up adds: “Intensely shy bears, they prefer the lush, isolated cloud forests on the slopes of the Andes, climbing as high as 14,000 feet.

“They will descend to search for food though, and have been seen in widely differing habitats, from rainforests, to steppe lands, to coastal deserts.”