‘Paddington’ and ‘Wonka’ director to make Labubu movie

Posted On December 19, 2025December 19, 2025

Paul King, the director of Paddington and the Timothee Chalamet-fronted Wonka, has set his sights on a new venture: A Labubu movie.

The furry, wide-eyed toy has become a viral phenomenon in the last year and is now set to get its own live-action feature, as per Variety.

The project is in early development, though King is attached to direct and produce alongside Department M and Wenxin She.

He most recently had success with Wonka, which earned $635 million globally at the box office. Additionally, King is central to the Paddington movies, which earned almost $500 million at the global box office, directing the first two movies and writing the screenplay for the third movie.

In November, it was announced that Sony Pictures had acquired the screen rights for the toy. Fresh from the success of K-Pop Demon Hunters, the organisation has set its sights on another hit kids’ movie.

Though they’ve only gained mainstream popularity recently, the Labubu originated ten years ago in a picture book series. They are sold and produced exclusively by Pop Mart. They are sealed in what is considered blind box packaging, which keeps buyers guessing as to which toy they have purchased.

The Labubu was created by Kasing Lung, a Hong Kong-born artist who has strong ties to the Netherlands. He claims that the design was inspired by Nordic fairytales.

News of the Labubu movie marries well with the cinematic trend that has seen the film industry turn to toys for their next on-screen endeavour.

For example, 2023’s Barbie made over $1 billion at the global box office and has since inspired Mattel to screen pitches for a further 45 toy products, such as Hot Wheels and Polly Pocket.

Recently, it was also announced that a feature film adaptation of the Mr Men and Little Miss series of illustrated children’s books is underway, also by the Paddington filmmakers.

Further details on plot, casting, and production date are yet to be released.

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