Paddington 3 has reportedly recast Rachel Zegler due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike.
According to scooper Daniel Richtman’s Twitter post, Padding 3 is approximately two weeks away from finishing production. Richtman said Zegler’s role in the movie has been recast due to her unavailability caused by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike for better wages, protection against artificial intelligence, and more.
In June 2023 — approximately one month prior to the start of the SAG-AFTRA strike — The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes‘ Zegler was cast in Padding 3, also known as Paddington in Peru, alongside Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, and Emily Mortimer (who is taking over the role of Mrs. Brown from Sally Hawkins).
Given that the film largely stars European actors who aren’t a part of SAG-AFTRA, the movie began filming in the United Kingdom on July 24 without Zegler, according to Screen Daily. It was initially believed Zegler would join the production once the SAG-AFTRA strike ended; however, while SAG-AFTRA is now set to resume negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) on October 2, it appears the movie is moving forward without her.
What do we know about Paddington in Peru?
Directed by Dougal Wilson, Paddington in Peru is written by Mark Burton, Jon Foster, and James Lamout, with a story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby, and Burton. Along with the new cast members, the movie welcomes back a number of returning actors, including Hugh Bonneville as Henry Brown, Madeleine Harris as Judy Brown, Samuel Joslin as Jonathan Brown, Julie Walters as Mrs. Bird, Jim Broadbent as Samuel Gruber, Ben Wishaw as the voice of Paddington, and Imelda Staunton as the voice of Paddington’s Aunt Lucy.
Paddington in Peru will see the titular bear return home to South America. Accompanied by the Brown Family, Paddington has to cross through the rainforest and mountains in order to visit his beloved aunt, who is now staying in a retirement home for bears.
Paddington in Peru currently does not have a release date.
