Armando Iannucci to Write Paddington 4 With Simon Blackwell
armando iannucci will write Paddington 4 for Studiocanal with Simon Blackwell, setting up the fourth film in a franchise that has already passed more than $800 million at the global box office. Dougal Wilson is in talks to return as director after making his feature debut with Paddington in Peru.
Studiocanal’s Fourth Paddington Film
The new screenplay assignment gives the next Paddington film a writer with a long track record in political and character comedy. Iannucci helped create Alan Partridge, wrote for The Day Today, created HBO’s Avenue 5, and co-wrote and directed In the Loop, which was nominated for best adapted screenplay at the 2010 Oscars.
Blackwell brings a similar resume. He created Breeders and Back, helped co-write In the Loop, and co-wrote The Personal History of David Copperfield with Iannucci. That pairing gives Studiocanal a writing team that already knows how to work together on film and television.
Paul King’s Earlier Films
The franchise now moves further from its original creative setup. Paul King directed the first two Paddington films, and he wrote the first one and co-wrote Paddington 2 with Simon Farnaby. Paddington in Peru, released in 2024, was written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont.
Rosie Alison continues as producer for Heyday Films, and Anna Marsh said at CinemaCon that the film was in development and that “world-renowned comedy writers” had been hired. That puts the series in a familiar studio pattern: keep the brand moving, but change the writers around the bear rather than freeze the franchise in one tone.
Dougal Wilson’s Return Talks
Dougal Wilson is in talks to return after directing Paddington in Peru, which made him the filmmaker’s most recent steward on the screen. If he comes back, the fourth film will keep continuity on the directing side even as the screenplay shifts to Iannucci and Blackwell.
The franchise’s scale leaves little room for a misfire. More than $800 million in global box office across three films is the commercial backdrop here, and the new writing partnership is the clearest sign that Studiocanal wants the next entry to feel fresh without resetting what made the series work. For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: the bear’s next outing is moving forward with a new voice at the center, not a reboot.
