As much as Ben Whishaw’s voice acting fully embodies the spirit, pluckiness, charm, and politeness of Paddington, the good-hearted bear would’ve gotten nowhere without the help and the affection of the Brown family that took him in. Luckily, he won’t be alone during his return trip back to Peru as Whishaw will be joined by original cast members Imelda Staunton as Aunt Lucy, Hugh Bonneville as Mr. Brown, Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, and Julie Walters as housekeeper Mrs. Bird. Unfortunately, the delightful and talented Sally Hawkins won’t be returning as Mrs. Brown, instead stepping aside in favor of actor Emily Mortimer.
They’ll be joined by an impressive stable of new faces to the franchise, however, including Olivia Colman as a character named Reverend Mother, described by Variety as “a blithe and sunny guitar-playing nun who runs the home for retired bears,” and Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot, “a dashing and intrepid riverboat captain who offers to help the Brown family on their Peruvian adventure.” In another instance of cast-related musical chairs, however, new addition and rapidly-rising star Rachel Zegler will no longer be part of the film. Originally playing the role of Cabot’s daughter Gina, the currently ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike meant that Zegler would be unable to remain on board the production, according to another report by Variety.