A film based on the popular Paddington Bear books will hit theaters in the U.S. in December 2014, The Weinstein Company’s TWC-Dimension said today.
Paddington, based on Michael Bond’s iconic children’s book, will hit theaters on Dec. 12, 2014. That means it will open the same day as Ridley Scott’s Exodus epic and just days before Warner Bros.’ The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hits theaters. Sony’s Annie also opens the following week, so the two will compete for family audiences.
“The holiday season is the perfect time to bring the humorous adventures of one of the world’s most loveable bears to family audiences everywhere,” distribution president Erik Lomis said in a statement to Deadline.
The film has been in the works since last year, when it was announced at Cannes. TWC picked up U.S. distribution rights in September. StudioCanal is financing.
David Heyman (Gravity, Harry Potter) is producing, with Colin Firth voicing the teddy bear famous for his coat and hat. Nicole Kidman, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Jim Broadbent and Julie Waters make up the human cast.
According to Variety, Paddington was first introduced in 1958 and the books have sold over 35 million copies in 40 languages.
The story centers on a Peruvian beat who travels to London, where he gets lost. A family takes him in, but he soon an evil taxidermist (Kidman) finds him and goes after him.
image: Amazon