Colin Firth was originally chosen to voice Paddington in the 2014 film before Ben Whishaw took over.
Firth was attached to the project during its development, but he and the filmmakers eventually concluded that his voice did not fit the character as intended. Ben Whishaw was then cast and recorded Paddington’s dialogue for the finished film.
This change is sometimes overlooked because Firth remained associated with the production during its early publicity. The completed movie, directed by Paul King, features Whishaw as Paddington alongside Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins and Julie Walters.
The recasting did not alter Paddington’s character design or the story’s central premise: a Peruvian bear is adopted by the Brown family after arriving at Paddington Station.