Why Olivia Colman Could Follow in Hugh Grant’s Footsteps and Take ‘Paddington’ Into Awards Season (But Not the Oscars)

variety.com:

Alex Ritman Such was the love for Hugh Grant’s devilishly splendid antagonist Phoenix Buchanan in “Paddington 2″ that the actor was rewarded with a BAFTA best supporting actor nomination.

While practically everyone acknowledged it was richly deserved (not least for his unforgettable prison dance as the credits rolled), it was no small feat for a family comedy led by a CGI bear.

The other nominees in that category that year were for the distinctly less PG “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” “All the Money in the World” and “The Florida Project.” “Paddington in Peru” — the long-awaited third film in StudioCanal’s hugely successful Paddington franchise — may not have generated quite the same level of critical acclaim as the second (widely regarding as a masterpiece and therefore difficult to top).

But Olivia Colman has stepped into Grant’s tap-dancing shoes as the new casting addition (and a potential baddie) in style. Giving what several have told Variety is “the most Olivia Colman performance” of her career so far, Colman plays the Reverend Mother, a mysterious nun who runs the home for retired bears in the Peruvian jungle (where Paddington’s Aunt Lucy resides).