Downton Abbey famously ran for six seasons between 2010 and 2015 (although it should have stopped at three), with Downton Abbey: The Motion Picture released in 2019. If the series proper concluded in 1925, the first movie takes place two years later, in 1927, and revolves around the Crawleys and their staff foiling an assassination plot mounted against King George V. The second film, which premiered in 2022, had a meta twist to it, centering on the shooting of a “moving picture” at the Abbey (with a sojourn to the South of France thrown in for good measure).
Then, last year, Focus Features confirmed that production on the third and final film, titled Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, was underway, with Paul Giamatti reprising his role as Cora’s England-averse American brother, Harold Levinson, alongside Dominic West (who will be revisiting his part from Downton Abbey: A New Era), Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Phyllis Logan, Joanne Froggatt, Penelope Wilton, et al.
Conspicuous in her absence from that announcement, however, was The Crown’s Imelda Staunton, who appeared as lady-in-waiting Maud Bagshaw in both Downton Abbey: The Motion Picture and Downton Abbey: A New Era, and is, of course, married to Jim Carter of Carson fame. Back in March 2024, she told BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball that, yes, “There will be a final film—there you go.” Ball, in terribly British fashion, then apologized if she had prompted Staunton to speak out of NDA-clad turn. The Oscar nominee’s Violet Crawley-esque response? “I don’t care.” She’s sure to be missed by fans, as will, of course, be the late, great Maggie Smith.
And as for those joining the Downton Abbey franchise for the first time? Expect to see Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale and Arty Froushan. Meanwhile, the show’s creator, Julian Fellowes, has penned the third feature, the second film’s helmer, Simon Curtis, is returning to direct, and while major plot details are under wraps, two trailers have now been released. The sweeping music alone is enough to give you goosebumps.
They were accompanied by a log line, which adds that “the cinematic return of the global phenomenon follows the Crawley family and their staff as they enter the 1930s. When Mary finds herself at the center of a public scandal and the family faces financial trouble, the entire household grapples with the threat of social disgrace. The Crawleys must embrace change as the staff prepares for a new chapter with the next generation leading Downton Abbey into the future.”
So, mark your calendars for September 12, when the film will land on the big screen—and settle in for one last trip to your favorite grand country pile.
