Hugh Bonneville rules out a return to Paddington franchise

Hugh Bonneville has said he is unlikely to return to the Paddington film franchise.

The British actor, who plays Mr Brown in the children's films, insisted that the series could continue without him.

Asked if he would 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."

Paddington, first released in 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, produced by StudioCanal, were released in 2014, 2017 and 2024, and performed well at the box office.

Bonneville added that period drama Downton Abbey could continue after its concluding feature film, The Grand Finale, but that would also be without him.

The player of the Earl of Grantham added: "I wouldn't be surprised if they make some sort of spin-off, but no, our company has left the building."

Bonneville is about to appear in the play Shadowlands at the Aldwych Theatre in London, as CS Lewis. The play tells the story of how the author's quiet life as an Oxford don was transformed by falling for American poet Joy Davidman, only to lose her to cancer.

Bonneville split from his wife, Lucinda, known as Lulu, in 2023 after 25 years of marriage.

"I do feel very blessed and very content to have started a new chapter," he shared with the outlet.