The trailer for the upcoming third Paddington movie, Paddington in Peru, hit the internet on June 12, and fans of the franchise went wild with excitement.
The film is set to hit theaters worldwide in Nov. 2024 and will follow the adorable eponymous bear (Ben Whishaw) and his adopted family to his homeland in the deepest, darkest parts of Peru, where he’ll reunited with his beloved Aunt Lucy (Imelda Staunton).
The first two installments were enormous critical and commercial successes, thanks in no small part to their brilliant casts, which included Sally Hawkins as Mary Brown, Paddington’s adoptive mother. Hawkins is an immensely talented actress with two Academy Award nominations — one for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 2013’s Blue Jasmine and another for Best Actress for her performance in 2017’s The Shape of Water.
Therefore, it was a shock for those who noticed her absence in the latest trailer, with another talented actress — fellow Brit Emily Mortimer — seemingly replacing her.
Hawkins announced her exit from the franchise — and her replacement — in June 2023 in a statement to Variety. Hawkins said, “For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another, and one can’t get much better than the truly wonderful Emily Mortimer, she is extraordinarily special. She will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own. However, I am, and will always be in love with Paddington’s world.” Evidently, a lot of people had missed the memo.
Naturally, after watching the trailer, those who realized Hawkins was missing had much to say about her absence on X (formerly Twitter).
How did X react to Hawkins being replaced in Paddington 3?
The general feeling about Hawkins’ absence was one of sadness. The star performed brilliantly in the first two movies, making Mary Brown a revered character.
Adam said, “I’m so sad that they recast Sally Hawkins in Paddington 3.” It was a notion shared by many.
Kristofer Pistole posted, “just over here processing the recast of Sally Hawkins in Paddington 3,” Jeremy Allen Black wrote, “oh damn, no Sally Hawkins! I’m gonna miss her,” and Viany said, “don’t know if i can handle sally hawkins not being in this. give me back my fav white lady with the kind eyes.”
Philip Ardagh put a lot of thought into his post, writing “I’m sorry that Sally Hawkins chose not to reprise her role as Mrs Brown in the third Paddington movie. I suspect that no Paddington film will ever match Paddington 2 but she brought a real humanity to the role and will be a hard act to follow. Good luck Emily Mortimer!”
Other users spoke positively about Mortimer, too, with Kay Taylor Rea saying, “it feels criminal to have a paddington movie without sally hawkins, but emily mortimer is admittedly lovely and this movie comes with bonus olivia colman as a nun, so I suppose we’ll survive.” Stephanie Faye wrote “We will all miss Sally Hawkins but you have to be nice to Emily Mortimer because she’s also excellent, and she has Avian Bone Syndrome” — a reference to her character in 30 Rock.
Others were a little more angry about the whole thing, with Margaret “Molly” Rasberry writing, “Sally Hawkins didn’t return for Paddington in Peru?!!! This is an outrage!” Dan McClure was fuming and wrote, “Sally Hawkins not being in Paddington in Peru is f*****g b***s**t! F*****g b***s**t!”
Of course, some people had heard the announcement previously and were quick to point out the reason for Hawkins’ absence. Nick posted, “They didn’t recast her Sally Hawkins chose not to return. I’m not happy about it either but a spade’s a spade yknow,” and Luke wrote, “Sally Hawkins made her choice, and she chose Wonka.”
There’s no doubt it’s a shame Hawkins won’t appear in Paddington in Peru, but Emily Mortimer is a top actress who will undoubtedly be a great replacement. We wish her all the best in her role as Mary Brown and can’t wait for the movie’s release.