Ready your marmalade sandwiches, because Paddington, the iconic 1958 children's book, is being adapted into a major new musical, coinciding with the 65th anniversary of the publication of Michael Bond's first novel.
The new musical, which was announced today, boasts a stellar creative team including McFly's Tom Fletcher, who is creating the music and lyrics, Olivier award-winning playwright Jessica Swale, who will write the screenplay, and direction from &Juliet director Luke Sheppard.
Production companies STUDIOCANAL, Sonia Friedman Productions and Eliza Lumley Productions (on behalf of Universal Music UK) are also onboard the new project.
"It is a privilege to be creating a new musical about this gorgeous and beloved little bear with such a wonderful team," said Sonia Friedman and Eliza Lumley. "The magic of Paddington is that, through his wide-eyed innocence, he sees the very best in humanity.
"We cannot wait to bring Paddington, his antics, adventures and mishaps with the Brown family, and Michael Bond’s other treasured characters to the stage."
Paddington tells the story of a friendly and polite bear from Peru, who, by a series of slightly chaotic events, ends up lodging with a family in London. He is as kindhearted and lovable as he is disorganised and clumsy, which means that even though he absent-mindedly causes pandemonium everywhere he goes, he is not only forgiven for his actions, but ends up being cherished for them.
The musical, which is still in its early days of development, is set to premiere in the UK in 2025. Most of the finer details about the upcoming production, such as the wider creative team and the cast, are still to be confirmed.
STUDIOCANAL CEO Anna Marsh said: "We could not be more delighted to see our beloved Paddington take to the stage shepherded by a talented and visionary team in Sonia and Eliza.
"They have opened their hearts to show a deep understanding and passion for Paddington that will no doubt transpire on stage and ensure that his adventures continue to charm audiences in such a new and innovative way."
STUDIOCANAL were both the distributors, and one of the production companies, behind the smash hit 2014 film Paddington adaptation, which picked up two BAFTA nominations, made close to $300 million at the worldwide box office, and introduced the beloved bear to a new audience around the world.
A 2017 sequel, Paddington 2, continued director Paul King's success. A third installment, Paddington in Peru - this time from director Dougal Wilson - is set to be released in November 2024.
Paddington fans are likely to be pleased with the stage adaptation's leading creative team: composer Tom Fletcher, a founding member of Brit award-winning band McFly, has written songs for for One Direction, Busted and the Vamps. He is now also a popular children's author.
Meanwhile, Jessica Swale is a major British playwright, having won the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy for her play Nell Gwynn, which premiered in at Shakespeare's Globe in 2015 when she was just 33 years old. Swale's first play, Blue Stockings, is now part of the GCSE drama syllabus, and it received an Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright nomination in 2013.
Swale has also adapted a number of well-loved books for the stage, including The Jungle Book (Northampton, 2017-2018), Stig of the Dump (Grosvenor Park, 2016) and Sense and Sensibility (Watermill, 2014).
Director Luke Sheppard has recently directed Olivier award-winning play &Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre, and has been behind a number of acclaimed productions, including musical In The Heights (Kings Cross Theatre, 2017) and The Little Big Things (@sohoplace, 2023).
Sonia Friedman Productions (SFP) are one of the world's leading theatre production companies, having developed and produced 200 new projects since 1990. SFP has picked up 61 Olivier Awards, 39 Tonys and 3 BAFTAs over the last three decades and its credits include Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Stranger Things: The First Shadow, The Book of Morman, and The National Theatre's Hamlet starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
British author Michael Bond, who died aged 91 in 2017, wrote 29 stories in the Paddington series between 1958 and 2018. The series has been translated into 40 languages and has sold more than 35 million copies worldwide.
