A fourth live-action Paddington film is in development with A-list talent, Canal+ CEO Maxime Saada confirmed on Tuesday, adding fresh momentum to one of StudioCanal's biggest international franchises.

The pay-TV provider will also be the first to bring Paddington 4 to French small screens, just six months after its theatrical release. This follows their renewed agreement with French cinema organisations until 2032, committing investments for early access to new releases.

The group did not disclose the film's release date or distribution plans. Canal+ will invest about €1 billion ($1.2 billion) in French and European cinema over five years starting from 2028. In return, it is granted privileged access to new theatrical releases under France's media laws, both for its own films and acquired content — an advantage as global streaming services compete for subscribers.

"When we buy and we have deals with Universal, Warner, Paramount ... all of these movies are available on the Canal+ platform in France six months after release. When Netflix has a deal with Universal, they have to wait until 15 months to broadcast the movie (in France)," Saada told Reuters.

To secure the right to early releases, Canal+ is required to invest about €140 million a year, Saada said. "So we committed to spending an extra €50 million a year, approximately." The investment is only one part of the group's much larger content budget. Canal+ spent €2.25 billion in content costs in the first half of 2026 alone, across films, television and sport in its international markets. France generated €1.77 billion of its first-half revenue, making it Canal+'s biggest individual market.

Earlier this year, Actor Hugh Bonneville indicated he is unlikely to return to the Paddington film franchise.

The 62-year-old, who plays Mr Brown in the children’s films, suggested the series would continue without him as its focus remains on the bear.

Asked about a potential return to Paddington, he told Saga Magazine: "I don’t think so. I really don’t. I’ve loved it, but I’m getting on a bit. It’s a younger man’s job, but you can get other actors in and it will work just as well, because it’s all about the bear."

Armando Iannucci, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind the sweary, satirical classic The Thick Of It, has also been revealed as the writer for Paddington 4.

The Scottish writer – who also penned Veep, The Death of Stalin and the admittedly more niche 2006 series Time Trumpet – has reportedly joined as one half of the writing team who will mastermind the Peruvian bear’s next adventure.

According to Variety, Iannucci will reunite with frequent collaborator Simon Blackwell for the project, which was announced at ComicCon earlier this year.

Paddington, first published on October 13 1958, has seen a number of adaptations over the years, including a BBC TV version in 1976, voiced by the late Sir Michael Hordern.

The movies, featuring Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, produced by StudioCanal, were released in 2014, 2017 and 2024 and proved to be a huge success at the box office.

Paddington The Musical is currently playing in London’s West End at the Savoy Theatre.

The stage show features original music by McFly’s Tom Fletcher. "It’s an honour to be entrusted to bring the story of Paddington to life on stage with the very best of creative collaborators in (playwright) Jessica (Swale), (theatre director) Luke (Sheppard), and our producers Sonia (Friedman) and Eliza (Lumley),” Fletcher said.