Michael Bond has signed a deal with HarperCollins. The famed creator behind the Paddington Bear book series intends to write a new installment entitled Paddington’s Finest Hour.
The Guardian reports that in this new adventure story, Paddington will be encountering “a run-in with the police, starring in a TV cookery programme, and even bestowing one of his celebrated hard stares upon a hypnotist on stage…Paddington’s Finest Hour will be published ahead of the much anticipated second Paddington film, which is scheduled for autumn 2017 and stars newcomer Hugh Grant alongside the original cast, including Ben Whishaw and Hugh Bonneville.”
R.W. Alley has agreed to create the illustrations for this project. Both the United States and United Kingdom editions will be released in April 2017. (via The Bookseller)