Exactly one month after Colin Firth parted ways with The Weinstein Company's live-action/CGI hybrid project Paddington, the studio has brought in Ben Whishaw (Skyfall) to replace him.

Colin Firth's departure from the project was amicable, revealing in a statement last month that the bear, "simply doesn't have my voice." The project is still on track to make its December 25 domestic release date, although there may be a bit more of a time crunch for its international release, since Paddington is scheduled to open in the U.K. on November 28, which is just over four months away.

Based on the beloved novels by Michael Bond, Paddington follows the adventures of this talking Peruvian bear, who journeys to London to experience city life for the first time, where he is taken in by a family while catching the eye of a museum taxidermist. Nicole Kidman, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent star in the adaptation, which is directed by Paul King.

Ben Whishaw is best known for portraying Q in the 007 adventure Skyfall, a role he is set to reprise in Bond 24. He will next be seen in director Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem.