Ben Whishaw shocks with VERY racy role in French drama about a gay love triangle 

Ben Whishaw is beloved by family audiences, thanks to two recent performances as Paddington bear — with a further film being made this summer.

But his latest movie is quite different in content and tone. Whishaw is the star of Passages, which has its UK premiere at the London arm of the Sundance Film Festival tonight.

In the picture, he plays Martin, the husband of self-obsessed film director Tomas. Tomas has an affair with teacher Agathe, played by French actress Adele Exarchopoulos.

Critics have described the gay sex scenes as ‘unfettered’, and one friend who watched the film says there are some moments which would make Aunt Lucy’s marmalade sandwiches curl. 

Not least among them is some full-frontal nudity from Whishaw, undreamt of even in darkest Peru.

The film is by writer-director Ira Sachs, who says he was inspired during the pandemic to create a film about intimacy. 

Passages will be released on September 1.  

Meanwhile, the loveable bear’s next outing — Paddington In Peru — will start filming later this month, unbelievably six years after the second film in the series (which has so far taken £400 million at the box office) was released.

Sally Hawkins is stepping away from the role of Mrs Brown for this one and will be replaced by Emily Mortimer.

In a statement, Hawkins said: ‘For me it has felt the right time to hand the reins over to another. 

‘Emily Mortimer will embody the essence of Mary Brown and yet make it utterly her own.’ 

The loss of Hawkins is balanced out by the arrival of Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who plays a character running a home for bears in Peru.

Plot details for Paddington In Peru are shrouded in secrecy, though it has been written by Paul King, who directed the first two films. 

This time it will be new director Dougal Wilson tugging at our heartstrings (his previous work includes some of the John Lewis Christmas ads). 

The first Paddington movie was released in 2014, and it has been six years since the second film in the franchise, Paddington 2, hit movie theatres in 2017.

The third instalment will follow the first two in that it will be fully financed by Studiocanal, and produced by Heyday.

Sadly, Michael Bond, the creator of the Paddington books, died in 2017 aged 91 while the second film was being made.

Family friendly: Ben is beloved by family audiences, thanks to two recent performances as Paddington bear — with a further film being made this summer