'Paddington' Trailer: The Little Bear in the Big Hat Finally Comes to the Screen

 

David Heyman, the producer of all eight "Harry Potter" films, did pretty well for himself the last time he adapted a beloved book series for the big screen. After a quick stop in outer space — he also produced the 7-time Oscar winner "Gravity" — Heyman is back on Earth. And he's trading one London train station (namely, Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross) for another memorable destination.

Heyman's next project is "Paddington," the feature film which combines live action with CGI to bring the lovable bear in the floppy hat to life. It's the first film adaptation of author Michael Bond's long-running series of children's books that first debuted in 1958. It tells the story of a little bear from Peru who ends up alone at the Paddington Railway Station in London. He's discovered by the Browns, who take him in and name him after the place where they found him.

[Related: A Bear Called 'Paddington' Arrives in First Poster Reveal]

The books have been the basis for three animated TV series in the past, but never a movie. The film is written and directed by Paul King, best known for cult British comedy shows like "The Mighty Boosh" and "Come Fly With Me." It features an entirely computer-generated (and awfully cute) bear, voiced by Oscar winner Colin Firth, who interacts with a cast of esteemed actors.

Recent Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins and "Downton Abbey" star Hugh Bonneville play Mrs. and Mr. Brown, the couple who take in the little furball. "Harry Potter" veterans (and Oscar-caliber thespians) Jim Broadbent and Julie Walters co-star, along with the new star of "Doctor Who," Peter Capaldi. And Nicole Kidman plays the villainess Millicent, described as "an evil taxidermist out for revenge."

"Paddington" opens nationwide on Dec. 12.