Armando Iannucci, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind the sweary, satirical classic The Thick of It, is turning his hand to something a lot more family-friendly: Paddington 4. The Scottish writer, who also penned Veep, The Death of Stalin, and the more niche 2006 series Time Trumpet, has reportedly joined as one half of the writing team that will mastermind the Peruvian bear’s next adventure. According to Variety, Iannucci will reunite with frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell for the project, which was announced at ComicCon earlier this year. The Independent has contacted Iannucci for comment.
Fans React with Humour
The move has delighted fans of Iannucci’s work, who have wondered aloud how the man who created No.10 communications director Malcolm Tucker—surely the sweariest antagonist on television—will put his own spin on the U-rated franchise. “Armando Iannucci writing a Paddington movie sounds like the most aggressively British thing imaginable and somehow that makes perfect sense,” said one Reddit user. It’ll be “the first Paddington movie rated R for rampant profanity,” joked another. “Paddington runs for prime minister in the Green Party…” Referencing one of Tucker’s most famous lines, a third said: “Hopefully [we’re] a step closer to Paddington calling someone a marzipan dildo.” “Twenty minutes of Paddington running around screaming obscenities into a cell phone,” a fourth fan pitched.
Director and Franchise Success
Dougal Wilson, who directed the third film, Paddington in Peru, is in talks to return for the fourth instalment, Variety adds. The live-action-meets-CGI franchise has become an unexpected behemoth, with the three films released so far—2014’s Paddington, 2017’s Paddington 2, and 2024’s Paddington in Peru—totting up a combined $808 million (£601 million) in box office takings.
Paddington on Stage and Iannucci’s Recent Work
The Paddington revival has also seen a West End production, based on Michael Bond’s first Paddington book and the 2014 film, open. The musical, penned by McFly’s Tom Fletcher, sees the bear brought to life by two actors: Arti Shah (an on-stage performer) and James Hameeed (a remote puppeteer and voice actor, who also controls the bear’s facial expressions). At this year’s Olivier Awards, the pair became the first duo to win best actor in a new musical. While the family-friendly Paddington has been raking in the millions, Iannucci’s recent work has included HBO’s science fiction comedy Avenue 5 and a stint on this year’s series of Taskmaster. His most recent film was The Personal History of David Copperfield, a historical comedy-drama based on Charles Dickens’ famous novel, with Dev Patel as the titular character.
