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Paddington 4 confirmed with returning director and legendary comedy writer to pen script
Armando Iannucci will be scripting the next adventure for the beloved Peruvian bear.
StudioCanal
- Patrick Cremona
Published: Tuesday, 26 May 2026 at 12:23 pm
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It was revealed last month that a team of "world-renowned comedy writers" were attached to pen the next Paddington movie – and now it's been confirmed that none other than Emmy and BAFTA award-winning Armando Iannucci will be writing the script.
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The creator of The Thick of It and Veep – who has recently been seen as a contestant on Taskmaster – will collaborate with his regular writing partner Simon Blackwell on the fourth big-screen outing for the beloved Peruvian bear.
It's also been reported by Variety that Dougal Wilson will return to helm the film after previously taking over directorial duties from Paul King for the third instalment, Paddington in Peru.
King also wrote the first two entries in the series – with Ghosts star Simon Farnaby collaborating on the second – before a team of Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont assumed script duties for the third movie.
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The news that development on the fourth film was under way had been confirmed by StudioCanal at CinemaCon last month, with CEO Anna Marsh teasing the next entry but giving nothing away about any plot details.
Marsh had previously indicated there would be a fourth entry in the franchise even before Paddington in Peru had even been released, telling Deadline back in 2024: "We’re thinking about the next movies."
All three films based on Michael Bond's iconic children's books have been critical and commercial hits, with the second entry in particular often singled out for exuberant praise.
Meanwhile, a new stage musical on London's West End has also been hugely popular and won seven Olivier Awards earlier this year.
Armando Iannucci. Simon Webb / Channel 4
In addition to his work on the aforementioned The Thick of It and Veep, Iannucci's lengthy writing CV also includes The Day Today, I'm Alan Partridge, and more recently Avenue 5.
On the big screen he wrote and directed In the Loop, The Death of Stalin and The Personal History of David Copperfield, with the first of those earning him an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.
Could Paddington could see him back in the conversation for awards glory? We'll have to wait and see...
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Authors
Patrick CremonaSenior Film Writer
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.
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