LONDON - Hugh Grant will join Paddington 2, the sequel to the hit adaptation of a staple of children's literature.

He will play Phoenix Buchanan, "a vain, charming acting legend whose star has fallen somewhat in recent years", says BBC News.

Ben Whishaw will remain the voice of the young bear, Paddington, in the new movie to be released in Britain in November 2017 and United States in January 2018. Brendan Gleeson will also join the cast, with Hugh Bonneville (of Downton Abbey fame) and Sally Hawkins also reprising their roles in director Paul King's sequel, says the report.

The 2014 film grossed US$288.7 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.