Paddington in Peru director Dougal Wilson says the upcoming film is influenced by two Werner Herzog movies.
Paddington in Peru will be released in United States theaters this coming January. A sequel to 2014’s Paddington and 2017’s Paddington 2, the film is directed by Wilson and sees Bin Whishaw reprise his role as the voice of Paddington Brown.
Speaking with Empire Magazine, Wilson revealed that he was primarily influenced by two Herzog movies — 1972’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God and 1982’s Fitzcarraldo — when working on Paddington in Peru.
“Peru has this incredible variety of landscapes, crazy geology, especially the Andes and the mysterious Incan side,” he said. “If you’ve seen [Werner Herzog’s] Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, we go up into similar landscapes. And the people are incredibly friendly.”
Wilson added, “Obviously there are mopeds and mobile phones and all that, but they do still seem to wear traditional-looking clothes in the rural Andes. So I tried to show some Peruvian culture; a Peruvian legend underlies our whole story.”
What else do we know about Paddington in Peru?
“Paddington in Peru brings Paddington’s story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears,” the official synopsis reads. “With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.”
Along with Whishaw, the cast of the movie includes Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, Emily Mortimer as Mary Brown, Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird, Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber, Olivia Colman as The Reverend Mother, Antonio Banderas as Hunter Cabot, Carla Tous as Gina Cabot, and Imelda Staunton as the voice of Aunt Lucy.
Paddington in Peru will be released in United States theaters on January 17, 2025, from Columbia Pictures.
