Paddington Bear, the marmalade-loving cartoon character whose misadventures have delighted children for four decades, is being brought to the big screen by the producer of the Harry Potter films.

"I love Paddington's unique take on life," said David Heyman, who called the bear a "universally-loved character."

"Michael Bond's Paddington books have such wit, wonder and charm."

Heyman says he's teaming up with Hollywood studio Warner Bros. to produce a film which combines live action and computer-generated images.

The screenplay will be based on various characters and episodes as told through Bond's 11 books, published between 1958 and 1979.

'Paddington's story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family.'—David Heyman

Bond was a BBC cameraman when he wrote the first book about a little bear who arrives in Paddington Station in London with a label around his neck stating: "Please look after this bear, thank you."

The bear, from Darkest Peru, is wearing a duffle coat, hat, boots and clutching a battered suitcase containing an empty jar of marmalade.

He is taken in by the Brown family, who name him after the station, unaware of the mishaps they will experience by adopting him.

"Essentially, Paddington's story is that of an immigrant arriving in London and trying to find a home and a family," notes Heyman.

Bond based the character on a lonely-looking teddy bear he spotted in a store near Paddington Station on Christmas Eve 1956, which he bought as a gift for his wife. The bear inspired him to write a story and in 10 days, he had written A Bear Called Paddington.

The books, which have been translated into 30 languages, spawned a popular BBC animated series. Bond quit his BBC job in 1965 to devote himself to writing.

"The great advantage of having a bear as a central character is that he can combine the innocence of a child with the sophistication of an adult," says Bond on the official Paddington Bear website.

"He has a strong sense of right and wrong and doesn't take kindly to the red tape bureaucracy of the sillier rules and regulations with which we humans surround ourselves."

The release date of the film has yet to be unveiled.

Paddington, well-known for his predilection for marmalade sandwiches, can currently be seen on British television promoting the vegetable spread Marmite.