Paddington film producers cause fury in Peru over decision to make new movie in Colombia instead of the famous bear’s ‘home nation’

The producers of the next installment of much-loved Paddington Bear’s big screen adventures have caused a Hollywood storm by choosing Colombia as the filming location for our furry friend’s heartfelt return to his homeland.

When the eponymous bear was first found at Paddington Station, he was just a stowaway who traveled from ‘darkest Peru’ all the way to London on an adventure of epic proportions.

Now, after decades of romping through the streets of the British capital, he will make the return journey to South America in the upcoming 2024 blockbuster ‘Paddington in Peru’, with his adoptive Brown family in tow for the holiday of a lifetime.

But the part of the film that depicts his homecoming will largely be shot in neighboring Colombia.

The decision has outraged Peruvian lawmakers, who say it shows that Lima’s film industry cannot secure prestigious productions, even though the storyline dictates that it should.

Paddington returns to his home country of Peru (pictured) in the next installment of the film franchise

Olivia Colman is seen on the set of Paddington in Peru in scenes filmed in North East London

Images from the scene from the Paddington set in Peru show filming has resumed in Buckinghamshire after delays due to actors’ strikes

Regardless of where Paddington is filmed in Peru, it is almost certain to be a hit.

The first Paddington film was released in 2014, and it’s been six years since the second film in the franchise, Paddington 2, hit theaters in 2017.

Together, the two films grossed over $500 million at the box office and were both BAFTA nominated.

Sadly, Michael Bond, the creator of the Paddington books, died in 2017 at the age of 91 while the second film was being made.

Bond sent his bear back to Darkest Peru – in 1964, when he traveled to celebrate his great-aunt Lucy’s centenary (an event also featured in Paddington 2).

In the third episode, funded by Studiocanal, Paddington returns to visit Great Aunt Lucy, and talks about an extended family of bear cousins ​​we can all get to know.

But the decision to film much of the movie’s South American scenes in Colombia rather than Peru has alarmed lawmakers.

In response, Peruvian Congresswoman Adriana Tuleda has introduced a bill to breathe life into the Peruvian film scene.

She claims that the Peruvian film industry is hampered by a lack of incentives and too much red tape, which prevents big budget operations from getting there.

In the third episode, funded by Studiocanal, Paddington returns to visit Great Aunt Lucy, and talks about an extended family of bear cousins ​​we can all get to know.

The first Paddington film was released in 2014, and it’s been six years since the second film in the franchise, Paddington 2, hit theaters in 2017. Together, the two films grossed more than $500 million at the box office and both. were BAFTA nominated

“I believe in good Peruvian films,” Tudela told Peruvian newspaper El Comercio. ‘But the market needs to be more dynamic… to have an industry that is self-sufficient and not just dependent on subsidies.’

Her proposal would impose a 50 percent state funding cap on national films, something supporters believe would reduce bureaucracy and increase competition between domestic and international filmmakers.

But other industry figures say it would hurt indigenous and regional filmmakers who have benefited from government subsidies.

Peruvian director Josué Mendéz denounced the bill, saying: “Erasing all cinema made in the regions and allowing only one kind of cinema from Lima, in Spanish, would destroy a large part of the country’s identity nullify.’

MailOnline has contacted Studiocanal for comment.

Paddington Bear could not immediately be reached.