Paddington producer David Heyman has revealed who will voice Paddington Bear following the departure of Colin Firth.
The bear will now be voiced by Ben Whishaw, best known to moviegoing audiences as Q in the latest James Bond film Skyfall.
Speaking to The Daily Mail, Heyman says that Firth left the project after they agreed that the actor couldn’t find the right tone in his voice for the plush animal.
“He was saying: ‘Are you sure I’m right?’ He was way ahead of us,” Heyman tells the publication. “Colin was brilliant, but his voice was, ultimately, too mature.”
Whishaw also spoke to The Daily Mail and said that he was hesitant to take on the role of Paddington at first. “I had a bad experience doing this kind of work in the past and I thought I was no good at it. But I was persuaded to go, slightly grudgingly.”
The actor adds that he has an 18-month-old niece who he looks forward to sharing the final project with.
Paddington opens in theaters this Christmas. Rounding out the all-star cast are Nicole Kidman (Millicent), Peter Capaldi (Mr. Curry), Sally Hawkins (Mrs. Brown), Julie Walters (Mrs. Bird), Jim Broadbent (Mr. Gruber), and Hugh Bonneville (Mr. Brown).
Check out the trailer for the film below:
