Downton Abbey: Where we left off
July 17, 2018
"What is a weekend?" Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) asked in the pilot episode of Downton Abbey. This comment from the prickly Dowager Countess set the tone for the series, which has gone on to become a cult hit on both sides of the pond. For these aristocratic characters, every day of the week is a day for receiving guests or attending lavish banquets.
Downton Abbey, set in early 20th century England, tells the story of the aristocratic Crawley family and the staff who live and work in their country house. It's a story of love, class, family drama and social upheaval that plays out over 52 episodes and six seasons – and now we are set for more Crawley drama after it was announced that a Downton Abbey film is in the works.
Just where the film will pick up is unclear, but media reports and statements from the Downton stars themselves suggest a 2019 release date.
The last time we saw the Crawleys
At the end of the sixth series, it's the year 1926. Lord Grantham's daughter Edith gets married, his other daughter Mary is expecting her second child. Downstairs in the servants' quarters the Bates couple have just welcomed their own second child to the world.
With a final nostalgic look over the snow-blanketed Downton Abbey estate on new year's eve, the Crawley saga draws to a close. Or so we were led to believe.
Since then, vague rumors of a revival have circulated, but without any concrete confirmation or denial from official sources. But over the weekend, a tweet from the official Downton Abbey account delivered the news that fans had been waiting for.
Several Downton actors also took to Twitter to express their excitement at the upcoming return to the Abbey.
According to entertainment website Deadline, lead actors such as Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham Robert Crawley), Michelle Dockery (Mary Talbot), Laura Carmichael (Edith Pelham) und Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates) will be heading back to the Downton set at Highclere Castle in the Hampshire countryside.
Too late for Violet Crawley?
However, not everyone had been crossing their fingers for a revival. During an appearance on the British television talk show The Graham Norton Show back in 2015, actress Maggie Smith spoke of her relief that her time as Violet Crawley had come to an end.
"I'm glad it's over, I really am," she said. "By the time we finished she must have been about 110. It couldn't go on and on, it just didn't make sense."
It is not yet clear if Smith, who will turn 84 this year, has had a change of heart, or if the Dowager Countess will be left out of the Downton cinema debut.
It has been reported that Brian Percival will return to direct and writer Julian Fellowes will also be back on board. Other familiar names on the production side will include producers Gareth Neame, Liz Trubridge and Nigel Marchant.
"When the television series drew to a close it was our dream to bring the millions of global fans a movie," Neame told the New York Times. "And now, after getting many stars aligned, we are shortly to go into production."
am/rls (dpa/nytimes.com)