The Crawleys are moving on to bigger and better things than their castle — the silver screen!
The acclaimed PBS “Masterpiece” seriesDownton Abbey, which ended its run in 2015,is making a comeback asa big screen adaptation, with production to start this summer.
“We’ve gone on a couple of years but that’s all, not anymore,” the actress, 62, said.
Focus Features previously announced the film continuation of the beloved award-winning series will hit North American theaters on September 19, 2019. Internationally, the film will debut on September 13, 2019.
The television series, which won three Golden Globe Awards and 15 PrimetimeEmmy awardsduring itssix-season run, took place in the 20th century and followed the lives of the elite Crawley family and the servants who worked in their home.
Downton Abbey.PBS
Though plot details on the film have yet to be announced, the original cast is set to appear in the upcoming film, includingMichelle Dockery,Maggie Smith,Hugh Bonnevilleand more.
Brian Percival, who directed the original series pilot, as well as notable films such asThe Book Thief(2013) andAbout a Girl(2001), will also be returning to direct the highly anticipated film.
To much surprise, Lily James, who starred as Lady Rose MacClane onAbbeyconfirmed toPEOPLEthatshe will not be featured in the movie.
“I’m sadly not, but I’m so excited for it — I’m going to be front row,” James, 29, said.
WATCH: Take a Look at the Downton Abbey Exhibition
The British actress, who stars inMamma Mia! Here We Go Again, in theaters on Friday, explained why bringing her character back into the movie would not make much sense: “My character Rose moved off to New York, so it would be farfetched to bring her back.”
“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,” James added, noting, “There was no space for Rose.”
TheDowntonAbbeyreunion was teased in 2016, when Dockery admitted that big screen movie was “something I would wholeheartedly consider,” during an interview with the U.K.’sThe Telegraph.
In 2017, she expressed interest taking part in a film adaptation, but said getting the entire cast to sign on would be a challenge.
The show’s spirit lives on inDownton Abbey: The Exhibitionin New York City, where fans can see costumes, props and sets from the show through Sept. 3.
Fortunately, fans elsewhere won’t have to wait too much longer to bring the Crawleys back into their lives.
source: people.com
