The movie is going to include the return of some of the most popular characters from the first series as well as the films that came after it.
It has been officially announced that the third installment of Downton Abbey will be given the go-ahead, and it will include the return of fan-favorite characters portrayed by Paul Giamatti and Dominic West, who stars in The Crown.
ET revealed on Monday that the iconic television series that has been adapted into a massively successful film franchise would continue ahead with a fresh new screenplay written by the show’s creator, Julian Fellowes. Fellowes is the same person who created the narrative for the film Downton Abbey, which was released in 2019, as well as the script for the sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which will be released in 2022.
It has been reported by Focus Features and Carnival Films that the third episode would include Giamatti, who is 56 years old and plays the role of Harold Levinson, the brother of Cora Crawley, played by Elizabeth McGovern. Fans last saw Harold Levinson in the Downton Abbey Christmas special, which aired at the conclusion of the fourth season four.
Joely Richardson, who starred in The Gentleman, is one of the newcomers, along with Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan from the television show. West, who had recently finished his time as Prince Charles on Netflix’s The Crown, a program that earned him and the cast an Emmy nomination in 2023, will reprise his role as Guy Dexter from A New Era in the third Downton Abbey film, which has not yet been titled.
Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Robert James-Collier, Joanne Froggatt, Allen Leech, Penelope Wilton, Lesley Nicol, Michael Fox, Raquel Cassidy, Brendan Coyle, Kevin Doyle, Harry Hadden-Paton, Sophie McShera, and Douglas Reith are included among the returning main cast members. Virtually all of the original stars of the series are expected to reprise their roles once again.
While the lengthy list of names is enough to excite even the most casual of Abbey fans, fans with keen eyes were quick to notice that there were a few names that were missing from the roster. These names include Dame Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton, and Matthew Goode, who was notable for not appearing in A New Era either as Henry Talbot, the husband of Dockery’s character.
Due to the fact that Staunton, who is 68 years old and has been in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, was the first person to announce that there will be a third film, her absence is particularly noticeable. She played the role of Lady Maud Bagshaw, Queen Mary’s lady-in-waiting, in the first two films made by the company.
There will be a film that is the last one. The statement was made by Staunton during an appearance on the BBC radio in the month of March.
The presenter of the BBC radio program, Zoe Ball, who looked to be taken aback by the actress’s openness, followed up and inquired as to whether or not the actress is permitted to be disclosing information about another project.
“That is really enormous. Wow. According to Ball, “I hope we haven’t gotten you into any trouble.”
Staunton responded, “I don’t care,” in response.
Fans lobbied the actors and crew of Downton Abbey to return for further seasons, which resulted in the production of two films in 2019 and 2022. The program ran for a total of six seasons until it was canceled in 2015.
ET had an interview with Dan Stevens, the former star of the program, in March. Stevens responded to Staunton’s revelation of the contents of the third movie and discussed the reasons why the show, which became a success in the United States and the United Kingdom and struck a chord with people all around the world, seems to be just as popular as it was when it was being broadcast.
“Like with any show where you’re in people’s living rooms on a Sunday evening, you know, people take a special kind of ownership of that,” Stevens said to reporters. You may think of them as a member of your family in a sense. With your mother and your grandmother, you take a seat and watch it together. That program has been viewed by a great number of individuals I know, and it has been quite successful in bringing families together.
He continued by saying, “We laugh, we weep, but, you know, it’s one of those things where it means a lot to a lot of people who are watching it…Therefore, I can’t wait to see another movie.
Before the premiere of A New Era, Entertainment Tonight conducted interviews with the actors, all of them indicated a desire to return to England in the early 1900s for the production of another film.
“Although it seemed to be a very appropriate way to conclude, the crowd continues to be hungry for it! According to Doyle, who is 64 years old, “so it’s driving the writers to step up.”
Dockery, who is 42 years old, made the observation that “I mean, it feels like as long as there’s an appetite out there.” “The audience seems to just keep wanting to see more of Downton.”
She concluded by saying, “I love doing it and I love playing Mary, so we’ll see.”
A date for the release of the third film has not yet been decided upon.
