Paddington 2

Sony Pictures has acquired US, Canadian and select international rights to Studiocanal and Heyday Films’ Paddington In Peru.

Studiocanal is fully financing the third entry in the hit $500m global family franchise and will self-distribute in the UK, France, Germany, Benelux, Australia andNew Zealand, and Poland.

Sony Pictures holds rights for the rest of the world excluding Russia, China and Japan.

Commercials director Dougal Wilson is set to direct from a screenplay by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and Hames Lamont based on a story by Paddington 1 & 2 collaborators Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Burton.

Paddington In Peru sees Paddington embark on a new adventure that will take him from Windsor Gardens to Peru.

David Heyman and Rosie Alison are producing with Rob Silva as co-producer. King, Tim Wellspring, Jeffrey Clifford, Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern and Dan MacRae are executive producers.

Virginia Longmuir, EVP of Business Affairs and Joe Matukewicz, president of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, negotiated the deal on behalf of the studio with Aska Yamaguchi, head of US and digital sales, Anne Chérel, EVP global sales and distribution, and Sophie Leuthreau, head of legal and business affairs for Studiocanal.