Armando Iannucci will write the fourth Paddington film for Studiocanal, joining Simon Blackwell on screenplay duties as the studio moves ahead with another outing for the red-hatted bear. Dougal Wilson is in talks to return as director after making his feature debut with Paddington in Peru.

The film extends a series that began with Paddington in 2014, followed by Paddington 2 in 2017 and Paddington in Peru in 2024. Together, the three films have taken more than $800 million at the global box office, making the family franchise one of the most reliable properties in British cinema.

Rosie Alison, who came up with the idea around 20 years ago to bring Michael Bond’s character to the big screen in a live-action and visual-effects format, remains on as producer for Heyday Films. Studiocanal chief executive and Canal+ chief content officer Anna Marsh said at CinemaCon earlier in 2026 that Paddington 4 was already in development and that “world-renowned comedy writers” had been hired.

That description fits the pair attached now. Iannucci co-created Veep and The Thick of It and is also known for Avenue 5, In the Loop and The Death of Stalin. Blackwell was a key writer on Veep and The Thick of It, created Breeders and Back, helped co-write In the Loop and worked with Iannucci on The Personal History of David Copperfield. Their involvement suggests Studiocanal wants the next film to keep the sharp comic edge that helped the earlier installments travel so widely.

The production team also points to continuity. Paul King directed the first two films, writing Paddington and co-writing Paddington 2 with Simon Farnaby, while Paddington in Peru was directed by Wilson and written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont. With the studio now lining up Iannucci and Blackwell and seeking Wilson’s return, Paddington 4 looks designed to preserve the tone that made the series a hit while handing it to another pair of writers known for precise, character-driven comedy.

What comes next is the formalization of Wilson’s return if talks are completed and the start of a script shaped by two writers with deep experience in political, social and character comedy. For a franchise that has already crossed into blockbuster territory, the next film is now less about proving the bear can come back than about whether the creative team can keep the charm intact.