Paul King to direct Prince Charming movie for Disney

Paul King, the maestro behind Paddington and Wonka, has been tapped to direct a new Prince Charming movie for Disney.

Paul King seems to have that magic touch for family-friendly movies, and Deadline reports that Disney has recruited the director to helm a new Prince Charming movie.

While many Disney movies feature a Prince Charming-type character, the actual Prince Charming appeared in Cinderella as a love interest to the title character. However, according to insiders, this Prince Charming movie “will not specifically be linked to Cinderella.” Simon Barnaby and Jon Croker are set to co-write the script alongside King.

Although Paul King directed the first two Paddington movies, he didn’t return for Paddington in Peru as he made the difficult choice to helm Wonka instead. “It was really difficult, because I’d spent eight years with the bear and I felt such incredible love for him,” King said. “He’s an animated character, and the design and the love that went into every single follicle was labor intensive and done with such heart. So it’s kind of like sending your kid off to school and going, ‘I hope you’ll be okay!’ But I also know it was the right thing to do.“

Paul King added that “because there’s so much Paddington source material, you could make 50 Paddington movies. I’d be a hundred years old and still doing Paddington.” If there was only enough source material to make two or three films, King said that things might have been different, but he was “really pleased” with where they left Paddington after the second movie and that it was “time to let go and give somebody else a shot.“

Paddington in Peru “follows Paddington and the Brown family as they visit Aunt Lucy in Peru. A thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru.” Ben Whishaw returns to voice Paddington, with Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Antonio Banderas, and Imelda Staunton rounding out the cast.

Paddington in Peru will debut in the U.K. on November 8th, followed by a U.S. release on January 17th.