The Thick of It and Veep writer Armando Iannucci to script Paddington 4

At first glance, it feels really strange that the same person who wrote the venomous dialogue for one of the most acid-tongued characters ever created for the screen will soon craft the warm words of one of the most wholesome.

What does The Thick of It’s Malcolm Tucker have in common with Paddington Bear? Armando Iannucci.

The Scottish scribe has been tapped to co-write the screenplay for the fourth Paddington movie with his frequent creative collaborator, Simon Blackwell.

Iannucci is best known for political satires The Thick of It, Veep and The Death of Stalin, as well as for co-creating Alan Partridge with Steve Coogan.

That doesn’t appear to be the most natural run-up to a Paddington movie, which are brimming with earnest goodness, centred on an anthropomorphic bear with a big heart, a sunny outlook and the purest of motives.

But Iannucci also co-wrote and directed the 2019 comedy film The Personal History of David Copperfield, which while it had its share of razor-sharp tongue lashings, it was inherently an optimistic and hearty adaptation of the Charles Dickens tale, starring an irrepressibly charming Dev Patel.

The Paddington movies are already imbued with comedy, often physical and goofy, but you suspect with Iannucci and Blackwell penning the words, it will be an even bigger part of its vibe.

The fourth film is expected to be directed by Dougal Wilson, according to Variety, who also helmed the third movie, Paddington in Peru.

The three Paddington movies have been a critical and commercial success, and have a combined box office of more than $US800 million.

The second movie in particular was widely lauded and at one time was the highest-rated wide-release film on Rotten Tomatoes.

The character is voiced by Ben Whishaw, who took over the role from Colin Firth who had recorded his performance for the first film but was replaced before release when it was decided it wasn’t quite right.

The live-action actors include Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Peter Capaldi (who played the aforementioned Malcolm Tucker), Sally Hawkins (in the first two films) and Emily Mortimer (in the third film).

Nicole Kidman was the villain in the first film while Hugh Jackman filled the role – rather memorably – in the second, and Olivia Colman in the third.

Paddington is an icon of British culture, and first appeared in the 1958 book A Bear Called Paddington. It was created by author Michael Bond.