Peter Rabbit 2: Everything we know so far

It's not too long before Peter Rabbit 2 will be hitting cinemas.

After the success of the first film, the beloved characters - Thomas McGregor, Bea, Peter and friends - are back with a whole new story to tell.

Newsround went to meet the cast and crew to see what we could find out about it.

Where will it all begin?

Domhnall Gleeson, who plays Mr McGregor in both films, told Newsround: "Thomas still has his issues with the behaviour of the rabbits but he's coming to accept them. Bea is finding her place as an artist. Her books are selling reasonably well and they have interest from a publisher - and that's the start of their journey in this film."

But there are lots of surprises in store.

"It's the same characters that you like, but the stories are much more different, much bigger stories. It's quite intriguing," explained director Will Gluck.

Read on to find out what we were able to find out.

1. We have a new villain

Star Wars Rebels actor David Oyelowo plays Nigel in the film

First up, we found out who the villain is going to be!

We can reveal it is a character called Nigel Basil Jones, who will be played by theatre and film star David Oyelowo.

David told Newsround: "Nigel is a publisher who is very enamoured with Bea's first book and therefore has, shall we say, big plans for the book going forward."

What these plans are, we don't know yet.

But he added: "Let's just say that my character does not have the rabbits' best interests at heart.

"My daughter is going to be very upset by what I do to the rabbits. I can't tell you anything though!"

Oh no! What's Nigel going to do?!

The team also told us that there will be some new characters from other Beatrix Potter books in this film, as well as some real animals (there wasn't a single real animal in the last film).

2. We'll be leaving the garden

The first film mostly took place in and around Mr McGregor's beautiful house and gardens - but all that is going to change in the next film.

Executive producer Jodi Hildebrand told us: "This movie is going to take us beyond the gardens.

"There's a pet store, docks and alleyways. We are in neighbourhoods. We have train travel."

The characters will be going into "bigger, more challenging places," she said.

It certainly sounds like an adventure!

3. Bea and Mr McGregor are getting married!

Mr McGregor, Bea and Peter were left at the end of film number one playing happy families.

And in this next film, the happy couple will be getting married!

Rose told us: "The wedding scene is very funny and there's a lot of stunt moments in that, which is really fun. It's definitely - hopefully! - going to be really entertaining."

We can't wait to watch that bit.

4. Bea faces some difficult decisions

She may be getting married to the man of her dreams, but it doesn't sound like Bea is going to have an easy ride in the sequel.

In fact, while the first film focused on Peter's tricky relationship with Mr McGregor, in this next film Bea will be the one to face a difficult dilemma.

When flashy publisher Nigel comes along and promises Bea success, it sounds like she's going to fall into a trap and start to ignore other important parts of her life.

David explains: "It's the kind of dilemma that I think anyone could face - especially young people who have peer pressure and a tonne of influences on their lives - as they try to hold on to a sense of self, what they believe in and what's best for those around them."

Rose told Newsround: "The journey that my character Bea goes on is kind of a comment on success and what that means and what it looks like."

Hmm, we wonder what's going to happen to her…

5. There will be more action

Visual effects supervisor Will Reichelt told us: "It's a much bigger film. It's bigger in scope, there's more action and there are more stunt set pieces in this."

So what stunts can we expect?

Well, Nigel will certainly be getting into a lot of scrapes.

One thing we found out is that he will be having a boxing match with Mr McGregor.

And if Mr McGregor's scraps with Peter in the first film are anything to go by, this should be very entertaining indeed.

David explained: "As you can imagine, Mr McMcGregor is not proficient in the great art of boxing and my character is supposed to be. So you have that to look forward to!"

But it's not only Mr McGregor who will be getting on the wrong side of Nigel.

"Peter Rabbit hits me a lot - but quite rightly so, I would say. I think Nigel deserves all the hits that he gets," added David.

6. Peter's got a lot to learn

With Bea and Mr McGregor married, Peter will go off on a bit of a journey of his own in this film.

The team said they knew his story wasn't over at the end of the first instalment and suggest that he will be doing a lot of growing up in this one.

"We realised we had more to say about Peter, we have more to send him on," explained executive producer Jodi. "We're putting him in places where he's uncomfortable and he's going to have to work on something."

What that something will be, we'll have to wait and see.

7. There's a powerful message

The new film will also have a powerful message.

Director Will Gluck told Newsround: "It's all about identity. It's all about how people think you are and who you really are."

Jodi added: "From the beginning of our movie, Peter is trying to be good. He's trying to behave himself, he's leaving the gardens alone and leaving McGregor's tomatoes alone - but he just can't catch a break. Everyone's like 'Gosh, Peter stop being so bad! You're a bad rabbit!' And that's something that he really can't shake. So that's a big part of the new film - don't let people define you. Don't let people tell you what you are."

Another message in the film is about family.

"Families can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be furry, they can be tall, they can be short, they can be any colour," explained Jodi.

Peter Rabbit 2 will be in UK cinemas on 27 March.

Are you excited to see it? What do you want to see in the new film compared to the first?

Let us know in the comments below!