When ITV’s much-loved series Downton Abbey ended back in 2015 with a Christmas Day send-off, it just wasn’t enough Crawley family drama for die-hard fans (including, we presume, one Happy Hogan) but they’ll get a very early Christmas present in September in the form of a glossy Downton Abbey movie in cinemas across the UK.
Written by Downton‘s creator, Julian Fellowes, the film will see Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) get a letter from the royal family, informing him of an imminent visit from George V and Queen Mary.
See the first trailer below…
The film’s massive cast includes Bonneville, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle, Michelle Dockery, Kevin Doyle, Joanne Froggatt, Matthew Goode, Harry Hadden-Paton, David Haig, Geraldine James, Robert, James-Collier, Simon Jones, Allen Leech, Phyllis Logan, Elizabeth McGovern, Sophie McShera, Tuppence Middleton, Stephen Campbell Moore, Lesley Nicol, Kate Phillips, Maggie Smith, Imelda Staunton and Penelope Wilton. Phew!
There is at least one missing piece of the puzzle – Lily James as Lady Rose. The actress has previously explained her absence from the line-up.
“My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be far-fetched to bring her back,” the actress told People. “I would have loved to have come back for a scene, but for a movie, it can’t be like a Christmas special and it needs to be a focused storyline. There was simply no space for Rose.”
Downton Abbey will be released on 13th September.
