The second Downton Abbey movie began filming last week with all the original cast members and some newcomers and is set for release this Christmas.
Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West will join the cast, with Downton creator Julian Fellowes once again write the film's screenplay, and director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) will join the filmmaking team to direct the sequel.
Watch Alan Corr's interview with the Downton Abbey cast
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The first film was set in 1927 and saw the Grantham household go into a right royal tizzy when King George V dropped by for a visit.
We're thrilled to announce that Julian Fellowes and the entire Downton cast are back for #DowntonAbbey2, with Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West joining!
— Downton Abbey (@DowntonAbbey) April 19, 2021
See the film in theaters this Christmas. pic.twitter.com/OHopFgzqiM
Gareth Neame, the film’s producer, said, "After a very challenging year with so many of us separated from family and friends, it is a huge comfort to think that better times are ahead and that next Christmas we will be re-united with the much beloved characters of Downton Abbey."
Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said, "There’s no place like home for the holidays, and we can’t imagine a better gift than getting to reunite with Julian, Gareth, and the entire Downton family in 2021 to bring the Crawley’s back home for their fans."
Speaking on ITV show Good Morning last year, actor Jim Carter, who has played faithful butler Carson since the wildly successful period drama began in 2010, said a second movie about the gilded life of the aristocratic Crawley family was on the way.
"The script for a second film is there. We’ve seen it, it’s very funny," he said. "It’s got all the same characters in, all the regular characters, and I think the will is, COVID willing, we’ll film it next year."
On a filming budget of $12-13 million, the first Downton Abbey movie earned $194m worldwide and was the 10th highest-grossing film of 2019 in the UK.
The show, which ran between 2010 and 2015, was a massive success on TV, hitting an average of 10 million viewers an episode across its decade on screens.
Carter said that Downton Abbey was not considered to be a sure-fire hit when it first aired and that all involved were "pleasantly surprised" by the success the show found.
"It's about love and people looking for love and it’s about decent people," he said. "Everybody in it is trying to be the best they can be really and it’s uncynical.
"It’s like getting into a warm bath, thinking 'oh I’m going to enjoy this and relax a little bit’. So people really enjoy that, I think, and now we need that more than ever."
