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It’s hard to make a great movie. But it’s even harder to make a fantastic sequel. Not only do you have to come up with something unexpected that will surprise fans of the first film, but the sequel also has to further develop the characters and offer obstacles for them to overcome that feel organic to the story. And while countless sequels are made as a pure cash grab by the studios, I’m happy to report Paddington 2 isn’t one of them. Loaded with great performances, a heartwarming story, and humor that doesn’t rely on cheap gags, it's an adventure that’s perfect for all ages. I absolutely loved Paddington 2 and strongly recommend checking it out when the film opens this weekend in North American theaters.

paddington-2
Image via Warner Bros.

If you haven’t seen the trailers, filmmaker Paul King returns to direct the sequel, which picks up with Paddington Bear (voiced by Ben Whishaw) who has now settled into his life with the Brown family. When searching for the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy’s birthday, he finds an old pop-up book and decides to get a job in order to purchase the gift. Unfortunately, the book is stolen and Paddington is blamed which causes everyone’s favorite Bear to wind up in prison. From there it’s a race to free Paddington and clear his name before the thief gets away. Paddington 2 also stars Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi, and Imelda Staunton.

Recently I sat down with director Paul King and writer Simon Farnaby for an exclusive video interview. They talked about the challenges of making a sequel, how many of them aren’t good, how they came up with the storyline, what it was like convincing Hugh Grant to play the villain, what it was like telling the producers they wanted to do a big train sequence in the third act and film all over London, and a lot more. In addition, since Simon Farnaby played Blue Five in Rogue One, I jokingly asked him how working on that film helped make Paddington 2 happen.

paddington-2
Image via StudioCanal

Check out what they had to say in the player above and below is exactly what we talked about.

Paul King and Simon Farnaby:

  • How did playing Blue Five in Rogue One help make Paddington 2 happen?
  • They talk about the challenges of making the sequel and how there are many sequels that fail.
  • They talk about how they developed the sequel and what they were looking to do.
  • What is it like telling the producers you want to do a big train sequence in the 3rd act and film all over London?
  • How did they convince Hugh Grant to play the villain?
  • Will Paul King make another Paddington sequel? What is he thinking about doing next?
paddington-2-movie-image
Image via Warner Bros.
paddington-2-movie-image
Image via Warner Bros.
paddington-2-movie-image
Image via Warner Bros.
paddington-2-movie-image
Image via Warner Bros.