Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Paddington in Peru!

After playing the main antagonist in Paddington 2, Hugh Grant has a surprise cameo in Paddington in Peru, and here’s what it is, explained. Paddington in Peru is the highly-anticipated continuation of the Paddington franchise, following up on the Paddington 2, which is considered to be one of the best movies of all time. Paddington in Peru puts an all-new spin on the franchise, taking the lovable bear and the Brown family out of Britain and taking them to Paddington’s home country of Peru. However, these aren’t the only Paddington characters who return.

Paddington in Peru picks up several years after Paddington 2 ended, with the Brown family having grown apart in the years since their last adventure. When Aunt Lucy’s retirement home reaches out to Paddington, he and the Brown family decides to go on a trip to Paddington’s home country in order to visit her. While there, they get wrapped up into a hunt for the mysterious gold of El Dorado, with several other characters and villains getting involved along the way. While these Paddington in Peru characters are great, fan-favorite Phoenix Buchanan doesn’t appear until the very end.

Hugh Grant Returns As Phoenix Buchanan In Paddington In Peru

In The Film’s Post-Credits Scene

Hugh Grant made his debut in the Paddington franchise in Paddington 2, with him playing the film’s main antagonist, Phoenix Buchanan. While almost every aspect of Paddington 2 is critically acclaimed, Hugh Grant’s performance as the theatrical villain is one of the most memorable parts of the film. In the 2017 film, Buchanan is an actor who becomes obsessed with locating a great treasure. Using his theater skills, Buchanan steals a book, frames Paddington, and hunts for the treasure. However, Buchanan is eventually caught and arrested, with him transforming his prison into a theatrical paradise.

Hugh Grant’s Phoenix Buchanan is disconnected from the main story of Paddington in Peru, but his story is continued at the very end of the film. Paddington in Peru ends with Paddington bringing some of his bear friends to Britain, with Paddington showing them around. The post-credits scene sees Paddington bring the bears to visit Phoenix Buchanan in prison, with them having a brief conversation about one of the actor’s upcoming performances. Buchanan says that he wants to cast several of the bears, with the comedic scene ending and the credits returning.

What Paddington In Peru Reveals About Phoenix Buchanan’s Life After Paddington 2

He Is Still In Prison

Phoenix Buchanan’s Paddington in Peru scene is brief, but it does reveal some key clues about what has happened to Hugh Grant’s character in the years since Paddington 2. As it turns out, not much has happened. When Buchanan appears, he is still in prison, meaning that he is still serving time for his crimes after the events of the second movie. His uniform is still pink, and the prison still has a cheery atmosphere, meaning that the changes that Paddington implemented in Paddington 2 stuck around until the events of Paddington in Peru.

The main topic of conversation during Phoenix Buchanan’s Paddington in Peru scene is his upcoming play. According to Buchanan, he is working on a major adaptation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which he will be portraying Goldilocks. Buchanan tells Paddington that he wants to cast some of his bear friends, with him picking out a Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Baby Bear.

What Hugh Grant’s Return In Paddington In Peru Means For Paddington 4

Could Other Paddington Villains Return?

Now that Hugh Grant’s Phoenix Buchanan has returned in Paddington in Peru, it could have some implications on a potential future Paddington movie. Since the bears are now in Britain, it is possible that Paddington 4 could actually feature the storyline of Buchanan’s Goldilocks and the Three Bears adaptation. It could also be that he simply returns in another form, continuing his time in the franchise.

Hugh Grant’s return also sets the stage for some other characters to return. Since Paddington in Peru featured the return of Paddington 2‘s villain, Paddington 4 could feature the return of Paddington in Peru‘s villains. If Antonio Banderas and Olivia Coleman return in Paddington 4‘s post-credits scene, this would be a hilarious way to continue this new trend. These new actors made fantastic antagonist additions to Paddington in Peru, and hopefully Hugh Grant’s return to the franchise signals that they could be back in a future movie.